They then applied those results to DNA analysis of seized ivory, discovering that most of the elephants being killed by poachers came from two hotspots, one in the eastern African nation of Tanzania and another centered in the West African nation of Gabon.(More…)

The conservation nonprofit conducted an aerial survey, in which they found that 87 elephants had been poached in recent months.(More…)

Kelly Landen, program manager for Elephants Without Borders, said the group had been flying since July 10 for the inspection of elephants in association with the Botswana National Parks and Wildlife Department, which hires the group to conduct inspections every four years, according to National Geographic.(More…)

If you want to save the elephants, offer 10,000 dollars for the heads of cartel members.(More…)

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KEY TOPICS

About 40,000 African elephants are killed every year for their tusks, according to conservation groups.[1] Nearly 90 elephants killed for tusks near Botswana wildlife sanctuary, group says. [2]

These geneticists have uncovered Africa’s three largest ivory cartels — located in Mombasa, Kenya; Entebbe, Uganda; and Lomé, Togo — by analyzing the DNA within elephant tusks found in illegal trafficking shipments. [3] They operate over a wide area, move just a few elephant tusks at a time and once their ivory contraband reaches a major port, it can be easily hidden among other goods, said Samuel Wasser, director of the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington. [4] The separated tusks were almost always shipped within 10 months of each other, and the tusks in the matching shipments tended to come from the same elephant habitats, Wasser and his colleagues found. [3] Recently, conservationists came across a disturbing discovery near the famed wildlife sanctuary: the bodies of 87 elephants, many of which bore brutal injuries consistent with their being killed for their tusks. [2] Wasser’s process to identify and pair tusks from poached elephants uses DNA testing to match the pairs smuggled in separate shipments to the same smugglers. [3] Using open red circles, some of the recovered tusks have been matched to a number of poached elephant corpses. [3] Now that he has established a model for identifying elephants and their poached tusks, Dr. Wasser said he is taking the same approach to track pangolins — cocker spaniel-sized anteaters that are prized for their meat and scales. [4] There’s yet another trafficker Wasser declined to name because of an ongoing investigation who appears to be linked to “a major international incident where helicopters from Uganda were flying over northeast Garamba and were allegedly responsible for shooting 22 elephants,” according to DNA evidence from the tusks, Wasser said. [3] The findings reveal that cartels frequently put the right and left tusks from the same elephant in different shipments. [3] They conceal elephant tusks in shipments of fish parts, falsify records and smuggle their contraband through multiple countries to obscure its origin. [5] Some were even reminded of President Donald Trump?s recent decision to lift the U.S. ban on importing tusks and other elephant body parts as hunting trophies. [2]

The killing continues at a dizzying pace of about 30,000 elephants a year to meet demand for ivory in Asia, where tusks sell for around US$1,000 a kilo (2.2 pounds). [6] Nearly 90 elephants were found dead near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, in southern Africa, reportedly killed by poachers for their tusks in recent weeks. [6] Nearly 90 elephants slaughtered near wildlife sanctuary in Africa, tusks taken by poachers, group reports An aerial survey discovered dozens of dead elephants near a well-known wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, Africa. [6] Heartbreaking news in Botswana as Elephants Without Borders discovered 90 elephants who were brutally killed for their tusks after conducting an aerial survey near a famous wildlife sanctuary. [6] The carcasses of 87 elephants, killed and stripped of their tusks by poachers, have been discovered near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, a charity says. [6]

There are also people, he said, who appear to be buying whole tusks as “investments,” hoping they will become even more valuable some day, perhaps if the elephants are hunted to extinction.[4] Botswana has rebutted claims of a surge of elephant poaching by putting carcasses of animals that were allegedly slaughtered for ivory on display – some with tusks still intact. [1]

Poached and stripped of their tusks, 87 elephants were found dead in a protected sanctuary in Botswana, Africa. [6] Elephants Without Borders conducted an aerial survey, which found that 87 elephants had been poached in just a few months, according to the BBC. Poachers targeted the elephants predominantly for their tusks, which were valued for their ivory and sold on the black market. [6] An aerial survey conducted by Dr Mike Chase from Elephants Without Borders found as many of the 87 dead elephants that had been killed for their tusks just weeks ago, including five white rhinos also poached in three months. [6] According to BBC on Monday, the conservation group Elephant Without Borders reportedly discovered at least 87 dead elephants near a wildlife sanctuary, many of which had been killed for their tusks. [6] Wildlife conservation organization Elephants Without Borders reported many of the dead elephants were ripped of their tusks, and left with mutilated skulls a sign of poaching. [6]

The publish Breaking! Tragedy in Botswana; Practically 90 elephants discovered useless from tusks eliminated close to elephant sanctuary, the biggest poaching of elephants in African historical past first appeared in Freshly Vibes. [6] Eighty-seven dead elephants have been found in Botswana with their tusks removed, in what looks like one of the largest poaching incidents in the country’s history. [6] Aerial surveillance in Botswana over the past couple weeks has found up to 90 dead # elephants, their tusks violently removed. [6]

Poachers have been entering Botswana to take advantage of the world?s largest elephant population, and killing herds in order to sell their tusks for high prices on the black market. [6] The scientist carrying out the extensive wildlife survey said many of the 87 dead elephants were killed for their tusks just weeks ago and that five white rhinos have been poached in three months. [6] The scientist finishing up the intensive wildlife survey stated lots of the 87 useless elephants had been killed for his or her tusks simply weeks in the past and that 5 white rhinos have been poached in three months. [6]

Elephants Without Borders is conducting an aerial survey in the area near Okavango Delta and found many of the elephants were killed in the last fortnight and were targeted for their tusks. [6] Workers from Elephants Without Borders have carried out an aerial survey, which has found that 87 elephants have been killed for their tusks in the area, with most of the deaths happening just weeks ago. [6]

A herd of 87 elephants has been killed and stripped for their tusks near a Botswana famous wildlife sanctuary. [6] WASHINGTONPOST.COM: Nearly 90 elephants killed for tusks near Botswana wildlife sanctuary, group says. [6] Around 40 000 African elephants are killed every year for their tusks, according to conservation groups. [7]

A conservation group Elephants Without Borders survey found that 87 elephants were killed this year in the country, a staggering increase from just nine killings in 2014. [8] Poachers have killed nearly 90 elephants near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, making it one of Africa’s largest mass killings ever reported, conservationists said on Monday. [6]

Poachers killed 87 elephants and removed them of their tusks, aerial view of the sanctuary showed. [6] Bombardier found practically 90 elephants which have have been savagely killed for his or her tusks after conducting an aerial survey close to a well-known wildlife sanctuary. [6] The scientist carrying out the survey said many of the elephants were killed for their tusks just weeks ago and that five white rhino have been poached in three months, according to the report. [6] The scientist wearing out the intensive natural world survey mentioned lots of the 87 useless elephants have been killed for his or her tusks simply weeks in the past and that 5 white rhinos were poached in 3 months. [6]

The review comes five months after Khama relinquished power to Masisi, and just days after a wildlife charity said about 90 elephants were slaughtered for their tusks in Botswana in recent months. [9] In Botswana, the tusks of 87 elephants had been chopped off evidence of what conservationists are calling one of the biggest slaughters in recent years. [6] Poachers enter Botswana to make the most of the world’s largest elephant inhabitants and kill herds to promote their tusks at excessive costs on the black market. [6] By matching DNA from elephant tusks recovered from major illegal ivory shipments, and using information on the ports of origin of the shipments, Samuel Wasser, a conservation biologist at the University of Washington, U.S., and colleagues have pinpointed three major cartels that moved most of Africa’s large illegal ivory shipments between 2011 and 2014. [10] This has been instrumental in mapping shipments: by matching DNA from unknown tusks in seized ivory to the DNA reference map of elephants, Wasser?s team has been able to determine the geographic origin of the seized ivory within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the poaching source. [10] Wasser?s detective work involves DNA-based sample matching of elephant tusks, the geographical pinpointing of where the poaching took place (his technique of matching DNA from poop and DNA from tusks can geo-locate the origin of a recovered piece of ivory to within 185 miles), and the investigation of potential exit ports (such as shipping documents). [11] By performing a DNA analysis of elephant tusks nabbed at ivory busts, scientists have successfully backtracked the contraband to three major African cartels. [11] Talking to the BBC, Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders said he was shocked by the discovery of the elephants, who had their tusks removed for their ivory. [6] Talking to the BBC, Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders mentioned he was shocked by the invention of the elephants, who had their tusks eliminated for his or her ivory. [6] The incident was presumed to be from poaching because “all of them had their skulls chopped to remove their tusks,” Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders said to the BBC. [6]

Most of the animals killed were large bulls carrying heavy tusks, Elephants Without Borders said. [6] Conservationists say many of the 87 dead elephants were killed for their tusks just weeks ago and that five white rhinos have been poached in three months. [6] Around 40,000 African elephants are illegally killed for their tusks every year. [10] Every day, around 100 African elephants are killed for their tusks, which end up being sold mainly on the Asian market. [6] The average size of the confiscated tusks has fallen; having killed off many of the largest elephants, poachers are now turning their attention to younger individuals. [12] Most of the carcass, Chase said, were older elephants like the “great tuskers” who are valued by poachers due to their large tusks which could be sold in the illicit ivory trade. [8] Poachers targeted the elephants primarily for their tusks, which were valued for their ivory and sold on the black market. [6] EWB believes the carcasses were poached as the skulls of the elephants were chopped off, presumably to remove the tusks; and it appears poachers had tried to hide the “massacre” by concealing the carcasses with drying bushes, reported the BBC. [6] Genetic matching of tusks revealed that the Mombasa cartel had shipped savanna elephant ivory from East Africa, which was offloaded in Togo in West Africa. [10] During the course of their investigation, Wasser?s team observed that more than half the tusks in the large ivory seizures they sampled from shipments appeared to be unpaired — that is, only one of the two tusks from an individual elephant was present in a shipment, while its pair was in another one. [10] Dozens of beautiful Elephants such as these in SA were recently slaughtered in Botswana for their tusks. [6] In December last year Phil ya Nangoloh, the executive director of the Namibian human rights group Namrights, called for an independent commission of inquiry into what he termed the alarming increase in poaching, saying that high-ranking Namibian political figures are implicated in the black-market sale of rhino horns and elephant tusks. [6] Three years later, poaching is still happening at an alarming rate, with approximately 40,000 elephants killed each year for their tusks. [11] According to scientists, who are carrying out the wildlife survey, many elephants killed for their tusks just weeks ago. [6] An aerial survey located 87 elephants, many with their tusks removed, that were killed within the past three months. [6] Next, discover why poaching has caused some African elephants to be born without tusks. [6] The Lomcartel in Togo then added tusks from Central and West African forest elephants to the shipment, before the final export to China via Malaysia. [10] Elephants Without Borders A dead elephant with its tusks removed. [6] A single tusk is basically 2.5 YEARS worth of income, since an elephant isn’t really going to give up a single one and not the other you are looking at 5 years income hanging of the face of an animal, even after losing 50% to bribes and transportation. [6] Among his findings, Wasser discovered that two tusks from the same elephant are often shipped by the same traffickers in separate shipments, which tend to happen around the same time and from the same exit port. [11] The charity group said poachers had targeted older male elephants due to their heavier tusks. [6]

Chase also said poachers are turning to Botswana after killing large numbers of elephants in nearby Zambia and Angola. [6] The southern country is coming under increasing threat from poachers, who are increasingly killing elephants in the southern African country after wiping out large numbers in nearby Zambia and Angola, Elephants Without Borders said. [6] Some carcasses counted by Elephants Without Borders “were not poached but rather died from natural causes and retaliatory killings as a result of human and wildlife conflicts,” the government said. [6] We must all work together to end the killings and help Elephants Without Borders Save the remaining elephants in Botswana before it?s to late. [6] In 2016, for instance, Kenyan businessman Feisal Mohamed Ali was found guilty of dealing in ivory worth $433,000, equivalent of killing at least 120 elephants, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. [10] We should all work collectively to cease the killings and assist borderless elephants save the final elephants in Botswana earlier than it’s too late. [6]

The Elephants Without Borders (EWB) charity claimed two weeks ago that it had discovered at least 87 elephant carcasses during a routine aerial survey of conservation areas, suggesting a sudden spike in killings in recent months. [1] While things began to change about two years ago, when Chase first discovered several elephant carcasses without their tusks close to the Namibian border, the recent discovery was especially alarming because the dead animals were found deep into Botswana and relatively close to a protected wildlife sanctuary. [6] Authorities in Botswana discovered nearly 90 elephant carcasses near a wildlife sanctuary the animals had been killed by poachers for their tusks. [6]

Tanzania’s Selous region, for example, was heavily hit by elephant poachers but recent data indicates that the killing has slowed. [6] Mike Chase, director and founder of Elephants Without Borders, stood behind the survey’s findings and said at least a portion of killing could be attributed to the new no-weapons policy. [8] Joubert finds it hard to believe that the disarming of the unit was the cause of these recent elephant killings. [6] As there is NO WORK in these areas, they risk their lives by killing elephants or guiding Rich private people, like the TRUMPFS, during a safari, who gladly pay more than an average year’s salary to shoot a lion, elephant, giraffe, etc. [13] The government of Botswana, home to an estimated 130,000 elephants, told The Associated Press that the non-profit?s information was inaccurate, and that some of the elephant carcasses found “were not poached but rather died from natural causes and retaliatory killings as a result of human and wildlife conflicts.” [6]

Ninety elephant carcasses have been discovered in Botswana with their tusks hacked off, a charity said Tuesday, in what is believed to be one of Africa’s worst mass poaching sprees. [9] Botswana has rejected claims of a surge of elephant poaching made by a leading conservation charity and put on display carcasses of animals allegedly slaughtered for ivory – some with tusks still intact. [7] The primary signal that was altering got here two years in the past when the BBC flew with Mr Chase near the Namibian border and he found a string of elephant carcasses with their tusks eliminated for the primary time. [6] The first sign that was changing came two years ago when the BBC flew with Mr Chase close to the Namibian border and he discovered a string of elephant carcasses with their tusks removed for the first time. [6]

Gaborone (Botswana) (AFP) Ninety elephant carcasses have been discovered in Botswana with their tusks hacked off, a charity said Tuesday, in figures fiercely contested by the government. [6]

Around 87 elephants were recently found dead near the Okavango Delta Wildlife Sanctuary in Botswana, Africa, killed and stripped of their tusks. [14] CAPE TOWN — It was a shocking story that attracted global attention this month: A “poaching frenzy” in northern Botswana left 87 elephants dead, slaughtered for their tusks to feed Africa?s growing illicit ivory trade. [15] In the last few years, elephants on the African continent have been killed and have had their tusks inhumanely removed to be sold to ivory traders, who then sell them as jewelry, ivory idols, and other things for human entertainment. [16] Around 40,000 African elephants are killed every year for their tusks, which are illegally traded as part of a multibillion-dollar industry that extends from Africa to Asia and beyond. [17]

In recent years, there has been an increase in poaching and illegal ivory trafficking driven, in part, by the increasing Chinese demand for ivory; the high demand for elephant tusk ivory has led to huge declines in the number of African elephants. [18] Despite an international ban on the ivory trade, tens of thousands of elephants are killed every year for the ivory in their tusks, which is used to create jewelry and ornaments. [18] The website, Save The Elephants, explains that between 2010 and 2012 alone, over 100,000 elephants were killed for their ivory tusks. [19]

Poachers went on a rampage, they slaughtered the elephants who were found skinned out of their tusks, which was used for ivory. [14] Tons of ivory tusks were set ablaze in Nairobi National Park to fight against the war on elephants. [19] Authorities in Indonesia have arrested two of four suspects alleged to have killed a rare Sumatran elephant and hacked off one of its tusks last month. [20] Elephants are so much more than their tusks; they are intelligent, compassionate, and a source of tourism, which stimulates the African economy. [19]

“We have the world’s largest elephant population and it’s open season for poachers,” he told the Associated Press, adding that poachers have targeted old bull elephants that presumably have the heaviest tusks. [8] An aerial survey discovered elephants’ bodies ripped off their tusks and skulls. [6] The elephant carcasses, all with their tusks hacked off, were spotted around the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, within Botswana?s Ngamiland district, the organization said on its Facebook page. [6]

Elephants Without Borders (EWB) claimed two weeks ago that it had discovered at least 87 elephant carcasses during a routine aerial survey of conservation areas, suggesting a sudden spike in killings in recent months. [7]

It never occurred to me that we could be the last generation to have walked the Earth with elephants, until I heard of the killings of nearly 100 elephants in Botswana, Africa. [16] The sum of this activity is a transnational crime organization that contributes to the killing of 40,000 African elephants each year, according to one survey. [21] If there is armed protection in schools, then why can we not use weapons to protect an endangered species? Unless, of course we believe that our lives are more important than elephants? If the laws cannot permit the rangers to be armed with weapons, then the trade of ivory and the killing of elephants will not end. [16] Reports of a mass killing of elephants in the country are now being questioned. [15] “The cost to elephants of mass killing for ivory is not just one of numbers. [22]

Americans are now allowed to bring elephant tusks for ivory and other parts of this endangered animal?s body collected as trophies into the United States according to Donald Trump. [18] In an article from CNN, he claims that tusks from “about 8,000 elephants would be worth more than $105 million on the black market. [19] Tusks from these elephants were subsequently transported through ports in Mombasa and Entebbe. [21]

It’s unfortunate that somewhere down the line somebody figured out that these tusks can be harvested from an elephant by killing it, and that the “tusk” can be carved into trinkets, jewellery, piano keys, chopsticks etc. But you have to kill the elephant to get the tusk. [23]

While conducting aerial surveys for the government this year, Elephants Without Borders said it had come across dozens of elephant carcasses, many with their tusks missing. [15] The team compared genotyped tusks to a geographic origin map of elephant populations in Africa. [21]

Conservation group Save The Elephants reports that between 2010 and 2012, an estimated 100,000 African elephants were poached for their tusks. [24] About 40,000 elephants and 1,000 rhinos are killed for their tusks and horns every year. [25] A DNA sampling technique on elephant tusks has helped expose three of Africa’s ivory trafficking rings, a new study says. [26] A conservation biologist at the University of Washington, Wasser had been analyzing the DNA of seized elephant tusks, comparing it with the DNA of other elephants he had studied, and sharing his findings with Kenyan authorities. [27] Scientists matched information from DNA samples of elephant tusks taken from multiple shipments to their port of shipment to expose the smuggling cartels operating on the continent. [26] Yahoo Japan is the single biggest online platform for elephant ivory sales in Japan, according to a new TRAFFIC investigation, which recorded a staggering 4,414 ivory items plus 35 whole tusks for sale over a four-week period in June and July 2018. [28] Poachers kill elephants for their tusks and rhinos for their horns. [25]

Killing an elephant for their tusks and calling it ivory is one of the dumbest things we do. [29] A new study uses genetic evidence to provide a window into the shadowy network of transnational criminal groups responsible for slaughtering elephants and killing conservationists in Africa, as well as the thriving global ivory trade. [30] Conservationists hailed it as a major blow to the international poaching syndicates responsible for killing 40,000 endangered elephants in Africa every year. [27]

If the elephants could give up their tusks to save their lives and those of their families and future generations I am 100 percent positive that they would. [31] In times of drought, elephants dig water holes in dry riverbeds by using their tusks, feet, and trunk. [23] Elephant tusks can sell for about $450 a pound ($1000 a kilogram). [25]

There are a lot of people who are making a lot of money killing elephants. [31]

With the new DNA information, it is easier to prove that someone has been involved in killing animals for their tusks or horns. [25]

Previously, he and colleagues have used DNA found in elephant tusks and poop to link trafficked tusks to specific poaching hot spots in central and southeastern Africa ( SN: 7/25/15, p. 9 ). [32] Identifying matching elephant DNA in different shipments of tusks can help scientific sleuths connect the shipments to the same ivory trafficking cartel, a new study finds. [32] The two tusks in the other Togo seizure (Jan 2014 3.9t) that had matches in the Malaysia seizure originated from East African savannah elephants ( Fig. 1A ). [33] Bone samples from 10 unique elephants killed in a high-profile poaching incident involving a helicopter in northeastern (NE) Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ( 6 ) were similarly examined for matches to tusks in these seizures. [33] Myanmar authorities destroyed hundreds of seized elephant tusks, pangolin scales and other animal parts, worth a total of $1.3 million on the black market, on Thursday as part of a crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking. [34] Pairs of elephant tusks that are separated during smuggling are illuminating the tracks of wildlife crime. [32] What?s getting lost in the debate is the fact that elephants are being found dead, missing their tusks. [35] We combine DNA-based sample matching and geographic assignment of tusks to show that the two tusks from the same elephant are often shipped by the same trafficker in separate large consignments of ivory. [33] The Kenya (Jun 2013 1.5t) seizure, allegedly connected to the Jun 2014 2.2t seizure, was the same one that had multiple matches to tusks in two large Uganda seizures and to the elephants killed by helicopter in DRC (May 2012). [33] The likelihood of those two savannah elephant tusks being in the 3.9–metric ton Togo seizure is extremely low since 92% of the tusks in that seizure were from forest elephants ( 5 ). [33] We estimated that the Togo (Jan 2014 3.9t) seizure would have had to include 500 savannah elephant tusk matches among its 1500 total tusks to maximize the likelihood of observing the two savannah tusk matches among the Togo and Malaysia seizures (table S5). (That is also why we excluded that case from the 2.25% estimate mentioned above.) [33] We arrived at that conclusion after devising methods to reduce DNA analysis costs by physically identifying and excluding one of the two tusks from same elephant. [33]

The Botswana govt says only 53 carcasses were found and that the elephants appeared to have died of natural causes or were retaliatory killings. [35] Most of the bodies documented by Elephants Without Borders “were not poached, but died of natural causes and killings of reprisals as a result of human and wildlife conflicts,” the government said in a statement. [36] Poachers appear to be attacking male elephants over the age of 35, killing them near watering places and cutting their fangs, said Mike Chase, a conservation biologist who founded the environmental group Elephants Without Borders. [36] It is as a result of this fragility and the growing international pressure of organised trafficking in ivory that the last years have been years of elephant killing. [37] I hope they catch the ones responsible for killing the elephants or any animal and prosecute them to the point of extreme severity. [38] I’m not a rocket psychodermatologyst but aren’t elephants those huge animals that are freaking awesome? Like I understand killing a fly or moth, even just for fun, but an elephant! You can easily get flies and moths. [29]

Tusks were paired on the basis of similarities in their color, diameters at the base (where the tusks exit the jaw), and, most importantly, the distance from the base of the tusk to gum line (a highly visible line marking where the tusk protrudes from the lip of the elephant) ( 5 ). [33] The Poisson regression was also run separately for just the 630 possible pairs (35 × 36/2), consisting only of savannah elephant sample matches since all but one matching tusk pair occurred among savannah elephant tusks. [33] They only left the tusks of a young elephant behind,” JosSitoe, Chief of Reserve Surveillance explains, stressing his concern about the growing pressure on elephants. [37] When an elephant dies of old age, their tusks are at their biggest. [29]

They?re not making the same $ from tourism that they used to, and elephants are increasingly trampling their fields and killing family members. [35] There are probably some very rich guys at the top, but the vast majority of the people who are doing the actual killing of elephants and any other dirty work are marginalized and don’t have a lot of other choices. [29]

Since July, approximately 87 elephants have been found dead with their tusks removed by poachers for their ivory in Botswana.[39] Over 90 large elephants were found dead, killed for their ivory tusks. [40] Despite public attention and widespread efforts to stop the slaughter, 100 elephants are illegally killed each day for their ivory tusks. [41]

FILE – In this Thursday, April 28, 2016 file photo, ivory statues stand in front of one of around a dozen pyres of elephant tusks, before being burned to encourage global efforts to help stop the poaching of elephants and rhinos, in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. [42] The annual turnover of the ivory trade is estimated to 4 billion USD. There are still less elephants with huge tusks, which is why poachers kill even elephants with small tusks today. [43] When poachers kill the elephants, they cut the tusks off and hide it in a hole dug out in a place they know well – if they took or transported the ivory, they would be conspicuous. [43]

It is estimated that around 20,000 elephants are killed in Africa for their tusks. [44] The largest tusks can usually be found in old bulls – in African elephant, they can grow up to 3 m length. [43]

The dead elephants “presumably had the heaviest tusks in the region, about 30 kilos or even larger,” said Chase, who led the Great Elephant Census for two years to count each elephant on the African continent. [36]

According to informed sources, some Monrovia based former politicians are engaged in the illegal poaching of elephants for their tusks. [45] Sometimes, bombs are put in carcasses of elephants with cut off tusks which explode and kill rangers inspecting the bodies. [43] He however, did not say how the elephant carcass was disposed of neither did he provide any information on the tusks of the dead elephant. [45] Indian elephants have smaller tusks and females of this species do not have them at all. [43] It is not possible to cut tusks off of elephants and let them live, unlike in the case of rhino horns. [43] In India, the illegal trade includes diverse products such as Mongoose hair; Rhino horn, snake skins, Tiger and Leopard claws, bones, skins, whiskers; Elephant tusks; Deer antlers; Shahtoosh shawl; Turtle shells; Musk pods; Bear bile; medicinal plants; timber and caged birds such as Parakeets, Mynas, Munias etc. Majority of these illegally obtained parts are meant for the international market and has no direct demand in India. [46]

It had largely escaped elephant slaughter and the ivory poaching crisis which is killing 30,000 elephants a year to supply Asian ivory demand. [40] “We know that climate change is one and that is having an impact on biodiversity, but we also know that – on our watch – the trade in ivory is killing African elephants at a rate that is horrendous and unsustainable. [44] It is necessary to realize that demand creates offer so everybody buying anything made of ivory participates in elephant killing. [43] Killing elephants and the ivory trade are a condemnable thing which we should not support – either directly or indirectly. [43] If there’s a city ordinance or a law that forbids the killing of elephants in the County where elephants are being killed for consumption, there’s got to be a consequence. [45] This regulatory killing was underway every year, however, elephants learned what the sound of helicopters meant (most probably thanks to the long-distance communication) and when they heard it, they started panicking. [43] A regulation called “Elephant Reduction Programme” meant killing whole elephant herds from helicopters. [43] Forestry Development Authority (FDA) said it will prosecute anyone, specifically elephant hunters, suspected of killing endangered species. [45]

Why are we killing them? Unfortunately, they have something special? Ivory tusks. [43]

POSSIBLY USEFUL

They then applied those results to DNA analysis of seized ivory, discovering that most of the elephants being killed by poachers came from two hotspots, one in the eastern African nation of Tanzania and another centered in the West African nation of Gabon.[5] With an estimated 40,000 elephants killed by poachers every year, there?s an urgent need for more effective law enforcement, said John Brown, a wildlife agent for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who has worked with Wasser and several African nations. [5] Between 2005 and 2015, poachers killed as many as 111,000 elephants, leaving as few as 415,000 elephants in Africa, according to a 2016 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [3] The Independent reports that the carcasses of 87 elephants were discovered near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary by the charity Elephants Without Borders. [47] In a tweet Monday, Elephants Without Borders described the recent rate of poaching as “alarming.” [2]

The international trade of elephant ivory has been illegal since 1989, but elephants are still killed in record numbers. [3] Chase told National Geographic each of the 87 dead elephants has a GPS location and every survey flight had four people aboard the plane, including a government employee. [2] Elephants drink water in the Chobe national park in Botswana. [1] Botswana is the last refuge for these elephants and they must be conserved.” [2] How do you crack the complicated empire of cartels that kill hundreds of thousands of elephants every year for their ivory? You put an international slew of gumshoe geneticists on their tail. [3] These cartels use smart businesspeople, who create rumors that elephant ivory and parts of other animals — such as rhino horn and pangolin scales — can cure medical maladies, which bumps up the price and demand for the contraband. [3]

The census found about 350,000 elephants in 18 African countries. [2] The oasis is home to more than 2,000 species of animals and plant life, including elephants, rhinoceroses and the endangered African wild dog. [2]

The wide range of classification and age of the dead elephants indicated a “poaching frenzy” that “has been ongoing in the same area for a long time.” [2] Large numbers of elephants have been wiped out in the nearby countries Zambia and Angola, according to Elephants Without Borders. [47] To take action, you can support organizations that are working to make a difference, such as Elephants Without Borders. [47]

In addition to the elephants, five white rhinoceroses had also been poached from the area in recent months, the BBC reported. [2] Dr. Wasser had already developed a genetic map of African elephants by analyzing scat from across the continent. [4] At one time, the African country was home to approximately 130,000 elephants — the most of any country. [47] Believe it or not, the African elephant isn?t expected to survive the next decade. [47]

This week, the country?s authorities took journalists to the vast Chobe national park in the north-east, which has more than 100,000 elephants – the country?s largest concentration of the animals. [1] The elephants are illegally traded as part of a multibillion-dollar industry that extends from Africa to Asia and beyond. [1] Fundamentally, Dr. Wasser said, addressing the demand side takes more time than conservationists have to protect elephants. [4] In a 2013 documentary created by British actor and filmmaker Tom Hardy, Chase described the area?s elephants as “political refugees.” [2]

Botswana is home to one of the largest elephant populations in Africa, more than 130,000, according to the Great Elephant Census, which is considered to be the largest wildlife survey in history. [2]

Poachers killed 87 elephants in Botswana, animal carcasses found near a wildlife reserve in the Okavango Delta. [6] Poachers have killed at least 87 elephants in recent months in Botswana, according to the conservation nonprofit Elephants Without Borders, which has been conducting an aerial survey of the animals. [6] At least 87 elephants have been killed for their ivory in Botswana in recent months, according to the conservation nonprofit Elephants Without Borders, which discovered the carcasses. [6]

During an ariel survey of a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, members of the Elephants Without Borders team came across 87 dead elephants who had their ivory removed by poachers. [6] The dead animals were recorded near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, a sprawling protected area in northern Botswana, during an ongoing aerial survey by the conservation group Elephants Without Borders that began mid-July. [6] They were found dead near the famed Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, the country with the highest numbers of African elephants on record. [6] Close to 90 elephants were found dead near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, as conservationists warned of what could be the largest-scale wave of poaching deaths in Africa thus far. [6] Close to 90 elephants have been found dead near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, according to conservationists, as the gentle giants are increasingly being threatened by poachers. [6]

A team of scientists carrying out a survey found that many of the 87 elephants were killed for their horns near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary in Botswana. [6] While poaching isn’t unheard of in Botswana, until recently most cases had been found along its border with Namibia, according to past surveys conducted by Elephants Without Borders. [6] Wednesday, 5 September 2018 ( 5 hours ago ) A scientist conducting a survey of elephants in Botswana found the carcasses of 87 elephants killed by poachers. [6] The carcasses of 87 elephants have been found near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, reports The BBC. [6] Botswana is facing a new poaching threat after 87 of their elephants were found dead just outside of a wildlife sanctuary. [6] Wildlife conservation organization Elephants Without Borders found the “alarming” rate of dead elephants while conducting an aerial census supported by the Botswana government. [6] Elephants Without Borders, a nonprofit conservation organization, said it found the carcasses of 87 elephants while conducting an aerial census in the Okavango Delta last week. [48] During an aerial census, Elephants Without Borders found the elephant bodies near Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, a popular tourist destination. [6]

Nearly 90 elephants were found dead near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary in Botswana. [6] At least 87 dead elephants have been found near a sanctuary in Botswana, according to a report. [6] Tracking collars revealed elephants had found sanctuary in Botswana from countries where poaching for ivory was more prevalent such as Angola, Namibia and Zambia. [6] With 130,000 elephants, Botswana has been described as their last sanctuary in Africa as poaching for ivory continues to wipe out herds across the rest of the continent. [6]

Elephant Massacre Underway In Botswana Conservationists have discovered the carcasses of 90 elephants in Botswana over the past two months, sparking fears of a poaching boom in a country that has traditionally been a safe haven for tens of. [6] The carcasses of 87 elephants were discovered during an aerial survey a few weeks ago near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, Africa. [6] An aerial survey discovered bodies of 87 slaughtered elephants near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, Africa, according to an advocacy group. [6]

In a shocking revelation, around 87 elephants were killed near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, Africa. [6] Botswana has rubbished reports that nearly 100 elephants were killed by poachers in recent weeks, saying the claims were “unsubstantiated and sensationalist media reports”. [6] A 2018 aerial survey of Botswana has already identified 87 elephants that have been killed by poachers. [6] Botswana warned Tuesday that elephants were being killed at an “unsustainably high” rate as it prepared to host conferences on poaching of the animals later this month. [9] Nearly 90 elephants have been killed for ivory in Botswana, according to a wildlife charity. [6] As many as 35,000 African elephants are killed each year, the African Wildlife Foundation reported, and Ivory can be sold for as much as $1,000 on the black market. [6] Poaching has escalated in recent years with record numbers of rhino and elephants being killed across Africa for their horn. [6] Botswana is home to more than 130,000 elephants about a third of Africa?s savanna elephantsand it appeared to have largely escaped the recent ivory poaching crisis. [6] Incidents of poaching in Botswana are rare, but the nearly 90 dead elephants come just as the government disarmed its anti-poaching units. [6] The Botswana Wildlife Aerial Survey 2018 is reportedly only half-way through so, tragically, the number of dead elephants could be even higher. [6] Despite living in a place considered a sanctuary for them, nearly 90 dead elephants have been discovered by aerial surveys in Botswana. [6] Symbol caption Child elephants, orphaned by way of poachers, at the moment are being cared for at a brand new sanctuary in Botswana Carcases of just about 90 elephants were discovered close to a well-known natural world sanctuary in Botswana, conservationists say. [6] Botswana is home to around 130,000 elephants and is described as the last remaining sanctuary in Africa, as many of the others have been wiped out by poachers. [6] Poachers are thought to have slaughtered scores of elephants close to a high profile animal sanctuary in Botswana. [6] A wildlife organization made a tragic discovery near an animal sanctuary in Botswana: 87 slaughtered elephants. [6] Botswana is home to roughly 130,000 elephants, according to BBC News, making it a sanctuary of sorts for the animal. [6] It came as a particularly jarring blow when the bodies of 87 elephants were recently found near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, as Alastair Leithead of the BBC reports. [6] NAIROBI (BBC News) Carcases of nearly 90 elephants have been found near a famous wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, conservationists say. [6] The bodies of nearly 90 wild African elephants, all shot with rifles, have been found in Botswana near a wildlife sanctuary. [6] In recent decades, as African elephants have been decimated by poachers, Botswana has emerged as a rare success story. [6] Chase said elephants in Zambia and Angola, north of Botswana, “have been poached to the verge of local extinction, and poachers have now turned to Botswana”. [6] After poachers wiped out large numbers of elephants in neighboring Zambia and Angola, they?re “now turning their guns to Botswana,” Chase said. [6] Now, Chase explained that hunters were coming into Botswana, and he called it “open season for poachers,” posing a danger to the 130,000 elephants remaining in the country. [6] Botswana has the world’s largest elephant inhabitants, however poachers have been breaching its border. [6] Elephants Without Borders responded that the poached animals had their faces cut off for their ivory, and that poachers appeared to have been “specifically targeting large old bulls.” [6] To support programs that protect elephants in Botswana and rehabilitate babies who are orphaned by poaching, you can make a donation to Elephants Without Borders. [6] Elephants Without Borders was conducting aerial surveys for the Botswana government when observers began noticing carcasses around the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage region far from the Namibian and Zimbabwean borders where poaching incidents have occurred more commonly in the country. [6] Elephants Without Borders and the Botswana government jointly conduct dry season aerial surveys of elephants and other wildlife in the country every four years. [6] The elephants, along with three dead white rhinos, were spotted by Elephants Without Borders, a Botswana-based conservation nonprofit conducting an aerial survey of the country, the BBC reports. [6] According to BBC, conservation group Elephants Without Borders discovered the elephants while carrying out an extensive aerial survey on wildlife close to the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary. [6] The “fresh and recent” remains were discovered close to the protected Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary by the Elephants Without Borders, which conducted an aerial survey for the Botswana government. [6]

The elephants were mainly found close to the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary and, since the 2018 aerial survey was only halfway completed, Chase told the BBC that his organization expected the number would likely increase. [6] Botswana is investigating the alleged massacre of about 90 elephants near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, and will hand a report to the government on Sept. 12, Environment and Tourism Minister Tshekedi Khama said. [48] Unfortunately, the conservation group is only halfway through its aerial survey of Botswana, which means the non-profit may discover even more dead elephants in the days ahead. [6] A wildlife survey carried out by a scientist said that many of the 87 dead elephants were killed for ivory just weeks ago, as well as five rhinos that were poached in the space of just three months. [6] An incident report written by Chase indicated that many of the dead elephants had been killed within the last few weeks, and that three white rhinos whose bodies were discovered in the same area likely lost their lives to poachers at some point in the past three months. [6] Poachers killed many of the elephants within the last few weeks, according to a poaching incident report obtained by NPR. [6] Ivory poaching is a huge problem for the continent; a third of Africa’s elephants were killed in the past decade, according to the BBC. [6] Back in early 2012, a heavily-armed band of poachers went into Cameroon’s Bouba N’Djida National Park and killed over 300 elephants for their ivory. [6] With an estimated 40,000 elephants killed by poachers every year, there’s an urgent need for more effective law enforcement, said John Brown, a wildlife agent for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who has worked with Wasser and several African nations. [49] Botswana, long viewed as a rare refuge for African elephants, is coming under increasing threat from poachers. [6] Thirty-two African countries on Friday called on the European Union to stop its ivory trade at a conference in Botswana aimed at saving African elephants. [9] In May, Botswana disarmed its anti-poaching unit and Chase wrote on the Elephants Without Borders website that in June members of parliament passed a motion to lift the ban on hunting elephants. [6] Michael Chase, director of Elephants Without Borders, told Kimon de Greef of the New York Times that he had counted 48 dead African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) during a single flight in August, indicating “a poaching frenzy.” [6] Mike Chase, a conservationist at Elephants Without Borders, told National Geographic that he is “sad that our government has responded in this way,” claiming that each sighting was logged in GPS and that there are multiple witnesses for each of the 87 carcasses found by his team. [6] Kelly Landen, a program manager with the group, said Elephants Without Borders had reported fresh carcasses to the government after the first week of surveys, but received no response. [6] The 87 carcasses have been counted by Elephants Without Borders (EWB), a conservation nonprofit organisation that has been contracted by the local government to conduct an aerial survey during the dry season. [6] Elephants Without Borders, a conservation nonprofit, made the grisly discovery while conducting an aerial survey of the wildlife in the area. [6] An aerial survey is currently being carried out by Elephants Without Borders, who has said the scale of deaths by poaching is the largest it?s ever been in Africa. [6] Elephants Without having Borders, which is conducting an aerial survey, stated the scale of poaching deaths is the largest noticed in Africa. [6] Elephants With out Borders, which is engaging in an aerial survey, mentioned the size of poaching deaths is the biggest noticed in Africa. [6]

By analyzing elephant poop and extracting DNA from stolen ivory, Wasser was able to pinpoint a pair of poaching hotspots in Africa. [11] The conservationist group also said there’s an increase in poaching in Botswana simply because that’s where the remaining elephants in the continent are. [8] Carcases of practically 90 elephants have been discovered close to a well-known wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, conservationists say. [6] Eighty-seven elephants were discovered dead near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana. [6] This is a tragedy on an epic scale. 87 elephants have been discovered dead so far, as well as five white rhinos that have been poached in the last three months in Botswana. [6] Eighty-seven elephants have been discovered useless so far, in addition to 5 white rhinos which have been poached over the previous three months in Botswana. [6] Conservationists are mourning the loss of 87 elephants whose bodies were discovered during an aerial survey in Botswana. [6] Although the population has slightly decreased over the last years, Botswana remains Africa’s elephant stronghold. [6] Lawmakers from the ruling Botswana Democratic party have been lobbying to overturn the ban, especially on elephant hunting, saying populations have become unmanageably large in parts–placing the animals on a collision course with humans. [9] She and Chase both make the point that as elephants have nearly been wiped out in neighboring countries, trafficking networks are likely moving into Botswana, where there are more animals to hunt. [6] Dr. Chase told BBC that for Botswana to come back from these horrible losses, the country needs to recommit itself to the strict anti-poaching practices that once made it a safe haven for thousands of elephants. [6] Tracking devices have shown elephants from Angola, Namibia and Zambia coming into Botswana, where elephants have largely been safe, and staying within its borders, according to the BBC. [6] Despite a lack of fences on the international border, data from tracking collars showed elephants retreating from Angola, Namibia and Zambia and deciding to stay within the boundaries of Botswana where it was thought to be safe. [6] In spite of a loss of fences at the world border, knowledge from monitoring collars confirmed elephants backing out from Angola, Namibia and Zambia and deciding to stick throughout the obstacles of Botswana the place it used to be considered protected. [6] In spite of a lack of fences on the international border, data from tracking collars showed elephants retreating from Angola, Namibia and Zambia and deciding to keep within the boundaries of Botswana exactly where it was thought to be protected. [6] Regardless of an absence of fences on the worldwide border, information from monitoring collars confirmed elephants retreating from Angola, Namibia and Zambia and deciding to remain inside the boundaries of Botswana the place it was regarded as protected. [6]

The disarming of the anti-poaching unit has reportedly led to a rise in poaching in Botswana, which was home to 130 000 elephants. [6] GRAPHIC IMAGES. WARNING! Read below post from @vetpaw a month after the new president in Botswana is sworn in and the anti poaching units disarmed 70 elephants are slaughtered. [6] Dear President @ OfficialMasisi stop the poaching of elephants in Botswana. [6] An ivory demand is fueling the poaching of elephants, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). [6] Botswana launched a review Wednesday of a 2014 hunting ban imposed to reverse a decline in elephants and other wildlife. [9] Botswana Tourism Minister Tshekedi Khama confirmed that dozens of elephants had been killed, but gave no further details. [6] Roughly 30,000 elephants are killed in Africa each year for sale in Asian markets, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [6] Botswana has an estimated 130,000 elephants, the most of any country in Africa. [6] EWB’s director Mike Chase told the National Geographic: “It came as a complete shock that we were discovering elephants that were poached deep within Botswana within some world-renowned tourist concessions. [6] Botswana was home to a well-armed anti-poaching unit, which protected its elephants from human attackers with an unwritten’shoot-to-kill’ policy towards poachers until it was disarmed in May. [6] #humanity what is wrong with the people of Botswana letting poachers kill their elephants. [6] Until recently, Botswana had a far better record when it came to protecting its elephants from poachers than many nearby nations. [6] Botswana has had a name for an unforgiving way to poachers and had in large part escaped the elephant losses noticed in other places. [6] Botswana has had a reputation for an unforgiving approach to poachers and had largely escaped the elephant losses observed elsewhere. [6] In previous years, Botswana had been well known for its strict anti-poaching policies, as elephants within the country’s boundaries were mostly considered safe from the threat of hunting, as noted by BBC News. [6] The same report documented some 350,000 elephants in 18 African countries; Botswana was home to more than 130,000 of them. [6] African elephants at watering hole, Okavango Delta, Botswana. [10] Banner image of African elephants drinking in the Chobe River in Botswana by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay. [6] Altogether, Botswana was considered to be an unusually safe place for African elephants. [6]

Nearly 90 skeletons of elephants have discovered near a famous wildlife sanctuary in Botswana. [6] While conducting an aerial census of the country’s elephants, they discovered the carcasses of 87 of the animals near a wildlife sanctuary. [6] The elephants were discovered by Elephants Without Borders while flying for an aerial census. [6] Conservation non-profit, Elephants Without Borders, said they discovered “the alarming rate while flying the Botswana government aerial census.” [6] He alleged that while Elephants Without Borders had been contracted by the Botswana government to carry out aerial surveys, only 53 dead elephants had been found, the majority of which had died of natural causes. [6] An aerial survey conducted by Dr Mike Chase from Elephants Without Borders found as many of the 87. [6] The grim discovery was made over several weeks during an aerial survey by scientists from Elephants Without Borders and Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks. [6] Elephants With out Borders is a charitable group devoted to the conservation of wildlife and pure assets. [6] The heartbreaking discovery was made by Elephants Without Borders, a charity dedicated to conserving wildlife and nature in southern Africa. [6] With what may be the largest population of lions in all of Africa; over 500 bird species; and a host of other animals including cheetah, leopard, elephant, the rare black rhino, and more, the Serengeti’s diversity of wildlife is unrivaled. [6] FILE – In this file photo taken Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, an elephant walks through the bush at the Southern African Wildlife College on the edge of Kruger National Park in South Africa. [8] In line with Elephants With out Borders, the magnitude of deaths from poaching is the biggest ever recorded in Africa. [6] “The varying classification and age of carcasses is indicative of a poaching frenzy which has been ongoing in the same area for a long time,” reads an Elephants Without Borders report obtained by NPR. [6] “The region has a strong military presence with two airfields,” the Elephants Without Borders report said, adding: “The Botswana government can?t be expected to stop this poaching alone.” [6] The Botswana government is denying the EWB?s claims, saying 87 elephants were not poached in recent months or killed in any one place, calling the report “false and misleading.” [6] The most recent census, in 2014, found nine recently killed elephants. [6] In 2014, the last time such a survey was conducted, only nine recently killed elephants were found. [6]

An elephant carcass is described a “fresh” when it is killed within the past three months, but a majority of the elephants found near the delta died in recent weeks, NPR reported, citing an Elephant Poaching Incident Report Reference written by Chase. [2] About 12 miles (20km) away, another decomposed carcass was found, but when EWB led rangers to it the tusks were still intact, suggesting it was not killed for ivory. [1] Now, he can link that map with genetic analysis of confiscated tusks to determine where the animal was living when it was killed. [4] “This is almost more than six months since it was killed,” said Collyer of one animal with dried, perforated skin and missing tusks. [1]

While sorting through 38 large shipments of ivory seized by law enforcement between 2011 and 2015, Wasser and his colleagues also developed ways to identify pairs of tusks based on diameter; color; and the location of the gum line, where the elephant?s lip rested on the tusk. [5] By examining the origin of the ivory, the separated pairs of tusks and the ports where the ivory was shipped, Wasser and his colleagues zeroed in on three main commercial networks, representing what they believe to be three major smuggling cartels. [5] Even though these right and left tusks were separated, they were still shipped out of the same port from 2011 to 2014, a time when ivory trafficking was at its peak, Wasser said. [3] Despite warnings that the magnificent beasts may soon go extinct, greedy individuals continue to slaughter the mammals and steal their ivory tusks. [47] The scientists also figured out how large each cartel was, based on how many genetically matched tusks were found in different shipments. [3] Each tusk costs $100 to genetically analyze and there might be 1,000-2,000 tusks in every seizure, so investigators have to strategically analyze only a sample of each diverted shipment, Dr. Wasser said. [4] They were able to match 26 pairs of tusks that had been separated after poaching, then shipped in different consignments to different destinations, but out of the same ports and within months of each other. [5] Trafficking cartels often separate tusks into multiple shipments. [4] “So, you can imagine, if you’ve got 1,000 tusks and you do every single one, well, that’s $100,000, and your budget is not going to last very long,” Wasser said. [3]

Cartels that smuggle ivory are often involved in killing wildlife rangers, moving drugs and laundering money, too, so it’s essential that law enforcement stop them, Wasser added. [3] Botswana, which has Africa?s largest elephant population, is on the frontline of the battle against the illicit ivory trade. [1] One hot spot is in far northern Gabon, in West Africa, which has lost 60 percent of its elephant population in the last eight years, said John Brown, a special agent in the United States Department of Homeland Security who is involved in prosecutions of ivory traffickers. [4] “When I compare this to figures and data from the Great Elephant Census, which I conducted in 2015, we are recording double the number of fresh poached elephants than anywhere else in Africa,” Chase told BBC. [2]

Elephant poaching is intensifying, particular.y in Botswana. [47] Several hours spent flying over the reserve, which borders Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, showed six elephant carcasses, four of which appeared to have been poached. [1] Intriguingly, the government denies the claim that 87 elephant carcasses were found. [47]

A census conducted in 2014 suggests that elephant poaching will become more common in the years to come. [47] Officials added that since the start of the year, a total of 63 elephants had died across the country and there had been no noticeable increase in elephant poaching. [1]

I can say it?s just normal, like any other year, we haven?t recorded any mass killing,” said Churchill Collyer, the deputy director of the wildlife department. [1] An additional “verification mission established that the majority were not poached but rather died from natural causes and retaliatory killings as a result of human and wildlife conflicts,” the statement said. [2] “Of the aforementioned 53 reported, a verification mission between July and August established that the majority were not poached but rather died from natural causes and retaliatory killings as a result of human and wildlife conflicts.” [47]

The conservation nonprofit conducted an aerial survey, in which they found that 87 elephants had been poached in recent months.[6] Botswana’s 2018 Wildlife Aerial Survey is only half-way through and conservationists fear the final figure of poached elephants will be much higher. [6] Botswana’s 2018 Wildlife Aerial Survey is simply half-way by way of and conservationists worry the ultimate determine of poached elephants will likely be loads greater. [6] Given that the current aerial survey is only halfway through, Chase and other conservationists worry the final number of poached elephants will be much higher. [6] “When I compare this to figures and data from the Great Elephants Census, which I conducted in 2015, we are recording double the number of fresh poached elephants than anywhere else in Africa,” Chase added. [6] The number of poached animals is unprecedented in a country that’s long been known as a sanctuary for elephants. [6] Until recently, Botswana mostly appeared to be a safe haven for the animals, but the country’s elephants have come under threat after the anti-poaching unit was disarmed in May, just one month after a new president took office. [6] Until recently, Botswana was largely unaffected, thanks to strong anti-poaching policies and armed anti-poaching units, according to the BBC. Indeed, tracking collars reveal that elephants that migrate from neighboring countries have largely stayed in Botswana. [6] “These statistics are false and misleading,” said a statement on the official government Twitter account, which added that “at no point in the last months or recently were 87 or 90 elephants killed in one incident in any place in Botswana”. [6] The government of President Mokgweetsi Masisi in Botswana has announced that it will hold a two-month nationwide consultation to review the ban on hunting, notably of elephants. [9] “It came as a complete shock that we were discovering elephants that were poached deep within Botswana, within some world-renowned tourist concessions,” he says. [6] Data from elephant tracking collars shows elephants enter Botswana from neighboring Angola, Namibia and Zambia where they were at more risk of being poached. [6] Botswana Tourism Minister Tshekedi Khama confirmed to AFP that dozens of elephants had been poached. [6] In this file photo taken on March 20, 2015, an elephant splashes at sunset in the waters of the Chobe River in Botswana Chobe National Park, in the northeast of the country. [6] Tracking collars show that elephants from other countries, including Angola, Namibia and Zambia, will migrate and stay in Botswana due to the perceived safety of the country. [6] “Until now Botswana?s elephant herds have largely been left in peace, but clearly Botswana is now in the cross-hairs,” said Jason Bell, IFAW’s vice president for conservation. [6] In a 2017 paper by Mogomotsi and his colleague Patricia Kefilwe Madigele, the co-authors argue that Botswana has become a haven for elephants precisely because it armed its game rangers and deployed the military to conservation areas. (They also argue that Botswana?s shoot-to-kill policy helped as well, though this contention is strongly disputed by other scholars and is opposed by human rights advocates.) [6]

The census estimates that there are 130,451 savanna elephants in study sites in Botswana. [6] The census estimates that a population of 4,864 savanna elephants exists in study sites in Uganda, a significant improvement over the estimated 800 elephants that resided in the country during the height of poaching in the 1970s and 1980s. [6] EWB found the “alarming” rate of dead elephants while flying an aerial census supported by the Botswana government. [6] The current aerial survey is only half finished, and conservationists worry that more dead elephants may be found in the future. [6] The stays have been found throughout an aerial survey close to a protected elephant sanctuary, the group mentioned on Facebook. [6] The remains were discovered during an aerial survey near a protected elephant sanctuary, the group said on Facebook. [6]

Elephants Without Borders, however, did not say the elephants were killed in one incident, only that they had been detected in aerial surveys since July. [6] That census estimated a third of Africa’s elephants had been killed in the last decade and 60% of Tanzania’s elephants had been lost in five years. [6] Already, by this point, a third of Africa?s elephants had been needlessly killed in the last 10 years. [6] It?s been estimated that in the last decade, around a third of Africa?s elephants have been killed, as well as 60 percent of Tanzania?s elephants being killed within five years. [6] The charity thinks an estimated one third of Africa's elephants have been killed in the last 10 years and Tanzania has lost around 60 percent of its elephants in the last five years. [6]

The number of elephants in Africa has decreased significantly in recent years. [6] “Not only can we identify the geographic origins of the poached elephants and the number of populations represented in a seizure, but we can use the same genetic tools to link different seizures to the same underlying criminal network.” [13] The animal was one of those counted by Elephants Without Borders as poached. [7] About it reports BBC News with reference to animal welfare activists from the organization “Elephants without borders”, who carried out. [6] Botswana?s Department of Wildlife and National Parks today issued a statement saying the Elephants Without Borders claims are “false and misleading.” [6] As scientists with Elephants Beyond Borders and Botswana?s Department of Wildlife flew through the area in planes, they spotted bodies upon bodies from the air. [6]

The elephants’ remains were found under drying bushes by Elephants Without Borders a conservation nonprofit. [6] The government branded the figures “false and misleading”, insisting Elephants Without Borders reported finding 53 carcasses, not 87. [6] Credit Elephants Without Borders Botswana?s new government, which took power in April, demilitarized the anti-poaching unit soon after taking office without explaining why. [6]

According to CNN, the hunt for ivory was previously contained to just Botswana’s international borders, but this new discovery of dozens of poached elephants deep inside the country shows that things are changing. [6] Most of the elephants appear to have been poached within the last few weeks, according to the organization, a fact made all the more alarming by Botswana’s long history as a sanctuary for elephants and a country with some of Africa’s most stringent anti-poaching policies. [6]

While poachers continue to put the future survival of Africa’s elephants at risk, scientists using DNA to track ivory and link the criminals behind the mass slaughter to the trade. [13] Wasser?s team identified one exceptional case in which the Mombasa cartel sent 4 tons of ivory from East African savannah elephants around the southern tip of the continent and up to Togo, where the Lomcartel combined it with 2 more tons from ivory from West African forest elephants. [12] In this 2013 file photo elephants drink water in the Chobe National Park in Botswana. [6] “Lion predation on elephants in the Savuti, Chobe National Park, Botswana”. [6]

“At no point in the last months or recently were 87 or 90 elephants killed in one incident in any place in Botswana,” the statement said. [6] Nine elephants were electrocuted in a freak accident in Botswana after one of them knocked into an electricity pole and the high-voltage power line fell on them, a local official said Tuesday. [9] Surveying her destroyed cornfield in northern Botswana, Minsozie Kasaira wishes for a return to the days of elephant hunting. [9] He said he was “shocked” at the findings in Botswana, which has long been viewed as a refuge for elephants. [6] Botswana is estimated to have about 130,000 elephants, and is considered the last safe haven for the threatened species. [6] In Botswana, which was “safe” for elephants until after their last election, when anti-poaching funding was suddenly withdrawn. [6] Sadly, the death toll in Botswana may prove higher than 87 elephants. [6] Botswana is the last refuge for these elephants and they must be conserved. [6] Swinging trunks and baby pachyderms; Botswana is also best for photographing elephants. [6] Then read the sad story of nine elephants who were accidentally electrocuted in Botswana. [6] Thato Raphaka, the government’s permanent secretary, said the EWB told the government of 53 dead elephants, which were not considered poaching deaths. [6] On average, 2,500 elephants are lost each year to poaching in these parts. [6] Poachers have been crossing the border to target elephants and rhinos. [6] After poachers wiped out large numbers of elephants in neighboring Zambia and Angola, they’re “now turning their guns to Botswana,” Chase said. [8] “It costs between $25 and $30 for a bullet to kill a single elephant, so where are these poachers getting enough bullets to kill 1,000 animals?” says Wasser. [12] Who is paying to have these Elephants and other animals killed? It is well known that there is a market for exotic animal parts, often used for traditional “medicine” and as ingredients in aphrodisiacs, etc., in China and other Asian countries. [6] The elephants were killed near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, a well-known wilderness area. [6] The Botswana government has cast doubt on EWB’s tally of recently killed elephants in the country, saying the “statistics are false and misleading.” [6] The government says the stories alleging 90 elephants were “indiscriminately killed recently” are false and misleading. [6] Among the recent 87 elephants that died, most were killed in the last few weeks, according to NPR. [6]

Carcases of nearly 90 elephants have been found near a famous wildlife. [6] RT @BellaLack: Botswana government disarmed its anti-poaching units in May, now almost 90 elephants have been found dead. [6] Nearly 90 elephants have been found dead in Botswana– the last safe place for the endangered animals– in the wake of the president’s decision in May to disarm its anti-poaching unit. [8] Authorities in Sri Lanka reported that seven elephants were found dead in a swamp in the eastern part of the island. [6] The larger savanna elephant prefers grassy plains and woodlands and can be found in 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. [6] He started by collecting elephant dung across Africa, and used the DNA in the dung to create a genetic map of elephants across the African continent. [10] Elephants Without Borders is conducting an aerial survey in the area near Okavango. [6] Two female elephants with a member of Elephants Without Borders Facebook/Think Elephants International The gruesome find happened during an aerial survey of the land over the course of a few weeks this summer. [6] Some in the conservation community have suggested that Elephants Without Borders made such alarming claims because of “vested interests”. [7] According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, poaching has driven the loss of hundreds of thousands of elephants over the past decade leaving just over 400,000 left in existence. [13] On a year-by-year basis, the number of elephants decreased by eight percent, mostly because of poaching. [6] Elephant numbers have dropped by more than 60 percent over the last decade due to habitat loss and poaching. [6] Since elephant numbers have dropped by 62 percent over the last decade, conservationists fear they could be almost extinct in the next 10 years. [6] The survey is only half-way through, with many of deaths recorded within the last few weeks, making conservationists fear the final figure of poached elephants will be a lot higher. [6] Botswana’s 2018 Flora and fauna Aerial Survey is handiest half-way via and conservationists worry the overall determine of poached elephants can be so much upper. [6] There could be even more cases of poached elephants, according to the BBC. The aerial survey is only about halfway complete. [6] Botswana’s 2018 Wildlife Aerial Survey is conducted by plane where the survey area is split into sections to record any ‘fresh carcasses’ of elephants lost within the last three months. [6] He notes that the 2018 aerial survey is only half completed, and there are concerns the final tally of poached elephants will be higher. [6] While 84 percent of the elephants are found in protected areas, it?s not proven to be a safe haven for the animal, like the 87 that were brutally massacred over a course of few weeks. [6] “There is no cemetery in the wild – animals like elephants will take years and years to completely disappear” from the spots where they die, said Simon Barwabatsile, the country’s anti-poaching coordinator. [7] Why stop at feeling bad about elephants? Meat eaters needlessly take part in the slaughter of over 56 billion animals a year not including fish which could be well in the trillions. [6]

We have the world’s largest elephant inhabitants and it is open season for poachers,” Chase added. [6] AI powered listening posts are now protecting endangered elephants from poachers over an area of 580 square miles in NouabalNdoki National Park in the Republic of Congo. [6] Eighty-seven elephants lay dead, most of them with their skulls chopped off near a wildlife sanctuary in the Okavango Delta. [6] All the elephants were found on the outskirts of the protected Okavango Delta, a 8,500-square-mile Eden known for its luxury safari lodges and opportunities to take trips on mokoro dugout canoes through the largest inland river delta in the world. [6]

The government estimates the county has around 230,000 elephants, but conservationists say the number is closer to 130,000. [6] The government said that many of the elephants 53 according to their rally had died of “natural causes,” and that disarming park rangers had no impact on the animal’s population. [6] Larger populations elsewhere in Zambia had stable populations, with an estimated total of 21,758 elephants in study sites in the country. [6] The lion population in South Africa’s former Natal and Cape Provinces is locally extinct since the mid 19th century. 59 The last lions south of the Orange River were sighted between 1850 and 1858. 6 Between 2000 and 2004, 34 lions were reintroduced to eight protected areas in the Eastern Cape Province, including Addo Elephant National Park. [6] The survey discovered one of the largest elephant slaughters to date. [6] “I’m shocked, I’m completely astounded,” Mike Chase, an elephant ecologist and the director of Elephants Without Borders, tells Leithead. [6] “I’m shocked, I?m completely astounded,” said Elephants Without Borders founder Dr. Mike Chase. [6]

The anti-poaching unit limited poaching incidents by monitoring Botswana’s 130,000 elephants, carrying arms as they tracked large herds. [6] That information helped scientists identify two major poaching “hot spots,” but the crisis affecting elephants has continued. [13] Since 2005, he has been helping customs officials analyze the vast quantities of illegally smuggled elephant ivory that circulate around the world. [12] The variety of elephants in Africa has decreased considerably in recent times. [6] By collecting elephant dung from across Africa, and extracting DNA from them, he and his colleagues created a genetic map of the continent?s pachyderms. [12] These figures show that one-third of elephants killed in the last decade in Africa. [6] The ministry of environment, natural resources, conservation and tourism said in a statement on Tuesday: “At no point in the last months or recently were 87 or 90 elephants killed in one incident in any place in Botswana.” [6] “It?s a bleak time in elephant conservation right now,” Chase says. [6] The number of elephants on the continent has fallen by around 111,000 to 415,000 in the past decade, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). [9] The same report says 84 percent of all elephants in the continent were sighted in legally protected areas, like the ones the 87 elephants were poached in. [6] The Botswana government released a statement Tuesday claiming that the report was “false and misleading,” claiming that only 53 elephants had died mostly of natural causes. [6] Since taking office, Masisi has disarmed the country’s anti-poaching unit, which used to be equipped with military-grade hardware, and supported the parliament’s decision to lift a ban on elephant hunting for sport, NPR reports. [6] Chase said the disarmament of the anti-poaching unit will encourage more elephant kills. [6] When you think about this, it costs about $25 for a bullet to kill an elephant and these poachers don?t have a lot of money. [10] This application of genetics presents a powerful new tool in the ongoing struggle to stop elephant poachers. [11] Poachers have crossed into Botswana’s territories more frequently, edging ever closer to its protected elephant sanctuaries. [6] Poachers have crossed into Botswana’s territories extra steadily, edging ever nearer to its protected elephant sanctuaries. [6]

Chase told the BBC that something needs to be done to protect the elephants now that the shoot-to-kill policy is no longer in place. [6] This week, the country’s authorities took journalists to the vast Chobe National Park in the northeast which has more than 100 000 elephants – the country’s largest concentration of the animals. [7] “Increasing law enforcement in these two hotspots could help curtail future elephant losses across Africa and disrupt this organized transnational crime,” he wrote in the ensuing study. [11] The elephants are illegally traded as part of a multi-billion dollar industry that extends from Africa to Asia and beyond. [7]

In June, some members of Botswana’s parliament presented a motion to end a ban on elephant hunting, citing increased population and human-wildlife conflict as a reason. [6] “Each day we are counting dead elephants,” said EWB director Mike Chase. [6] While conservationists are battling this bloody trade from different angles, ranging from protecting elephants on the ground and strengthening bans to working to reduce the demand, scientists at the University of Washington (UW) are using elephant DNA as another tool to help crack down on the trade. [13] Masisi’s government rejected Elephants Without Borders’ claims of a pachyderm massacre. [9] The Elephants Without Borders group and wildlife officials in Botswana have conducted half of a national elephant census and so far have counted nearly 90 “fresh and recent” carcasses of poached elephants, group director Mike Chase said in an email. [6] Non-profit group Elephants Without Borders, which is conducting a national elephant census, has found the “fresh and recent” carcasses of 87 poached elephants near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, director Mike Chase told the BBC. [6]

The carcasses of 87 elephants have been found near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, in what conservation group Elephants Without Borders called “the largest scale of elephant poaching to date”. [6] The carcasses of 87 elephants have been discovered close to a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, in what conservation group Elephants Without Borders referred to as “the biggest scale of elephant poaching thus far”. [6]

According to BBC News, an aerial survey from the conservationist group Elephants Without Borders revealed that the carcasses of 87 dead elephants were discovered near Botswana’s Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, a known tourist location in the country that still boasts of the world’s largest elephant population. [6] UNITED NEWS INTERNATIONAL (UNI) Conservationist group Elephants Without Borders says they have found 87 elephant carcasses near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary in Botswana. [6]

Nearly 90 Elephants Found Dead Near Botswana Sanctuary, Killed By Poachers Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the world. [6] The report added that the dead animals were found shortly after Botswana deactivated its anti-poaching unit and appeared to have been killed a few weeks ago for their tusks. [6] The tusks of 87 animals, which were counted during aerial surveys over the past few months in Botswana, had been chopped off evidence of what conservationists are calling one of the biggest slaughters in recent years. [6] The charity’s scientists, who carried out the assessment with Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks, found most of the dead animals were large bulls, which would have had heavy tusks. [6]

Botswana has the world?s largest elephant population, and but poachers have begun breaching its border after the government disarmed the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. [6] Elephant populations in Africa declined by 30% between 2008 and 2014 alone due to rampant poaching, leaving Botswana, known for its tough response to poachers, with the world’s largest population of the animals. [6] Botswana is home to one of the largest elephant populations in Africa, boasting a total of more than 130,000, according to the Great Elephant Census, which is considered to be the largest wildlife survey in history. [6] According to the organisation’s elephant census, Botswana hosts the biggest number of African savanna elephants with about 130,000 elephants, more than triple the size of Tanzania’s elephant population and almost eight times that of South Africa. [6] The 2016 Great Elephant Census, which reported more than 130,000 elephants in Botswana, also revealed African savanna elephant populations were declining by 30 percent in 15 of the 18 Africa countries surveyed. [6]

According to the Great Elephant Census, a project undertaken by the Paul G. Allen Foundation in 2016, Botswana has by far the largest population of African elephants in the world, with some 130,451 of Africa’s 352,271 elephants residing within the country’s border. [6] Botswana charity Elephants Without Borders said on Tuesday that on Tuesday that at least 87 elephant carcasses have been discovered during a three-month census of the animal’s population in the country. [6] According to BBC, 87 elephant carcasses were recently discovered near the borders of the well-known Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary in Botswana. [6]

The carcasses of nearly 90 elephants have been found near a wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, in what conservationists called “the largest scale of elephant poaching to date,” Newsweek reports. [6] Home to the largest elephant population in the world turned bloody, after the carcasses of almost 90 elephants were found in a protected sanctuary in Botswana. [6] Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, but poachers have been breaching its border. [6] Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the world, according to the Great Elephant Census, a report conducted by Elephants Without Borders and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. [6] Prior to the recent incident, Botswana had been largely “successful at protecting elephants,” according to the Great Elephant Census, an expansive survey released by Elephants Without Borders in 2016. [6]

Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population but a recent census estimated a third of Africa’s elephants had been killed in the last decade. [6]

Trophy hunting has contributed to population declines in Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. 4 Although lions and their prey are officially protected in Tsavo National Parks, they are regularly killed by local people, with over 100 known lion killings between 2001 and 2006. 57 Between 2008 and 2013, bones and body parts from at least 2621 individual lions were exported from South Africa to Southeast Asia, and another 3437 lion skeletons between 2014 and 2016. [6] These latest killings have been found deep in Botswana close to the protected Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, which attracts tourists from around the world. [6] However these newest killings have been discovered deep into Botswana near the protected Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, which attracts vacationers from all over the world. [6] However those newest killings were discovered deep into Botswana just about the secure Okavango Delta natural world sanctuary, which pulls vacationers from around the globe. [6] These most current killings have been identified deep into Botswana close to the protected Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, which attracts tourists from around the globe. [6]

Chase said in the interview that more needs to be done to stop the killings and he urged the government of Botswana to take immediate action. [6]

“The poachers are now turning their guns to Botswana,” Chase told the BBC. “We have the world’s largest elephant population and it’s open season for poachers.” [6] Botswana is home to the world?s largest elephant population, more than a third of all Africa?s elephants, according to the most recent Great Elephant Census, which Mr. Chase helped produce. [6] According to Chase, a recent decision by Botswana?s new president, Mokgweetsi Masisi to disarm the country?s anti-poaching unit Botswana had previously adopted an aggressive and controversial shoot-to-kill anti-poaching policy is partly to blame for the recent spike in elephant poaching in the country. [6] This isn’t the first time in recent months that Chase warned about the scale of elephant poaching in Botswana. [6]

The non-profit did an aerial sweep of the areas surrounding the sanctuary as part of a government elephant census and found the animals, all of which they believe are victims of poachers. [6] The Nice Elephant Census found practically a 3rd of the continent’s elephants, some 144,00zero animals have been killed, principally by poachers in simply seven years. [6] The Great Elephant Census discovered nearly a third of the continent?s elephants, some 144,000 animals have been killed, mostly by poachers in just a seven-year period. [6]

According to the South African, Chase reported that there were 55 poached elephant carcasses discovered as of the first week of August, including 33 that were killed in the three months prior, and 22 that were “fresh and thought to have been killed within days of each other.” [6] Poaching has depleted Botswana’s elephant population, the largest in the world, adding to Africa’s overall elephant losses; according to Elephants Without Borders, one-third of the continent’s elephants have been killed in the past decade. [6] EWB had been contracted by Botswana to conduct aerial elephant population surveys. [7] Botswana, which has Africa’s largest elephant population, is on the frontline of the battle against the illicit ivory trade. [7] In recent years, elephant populations in Botswana decreased slightly. [6] Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population of 130,000, largely due to the the country’s tough approach to poachers and armed and well-managed anti-poaching units. [6] Although Botswana is known for having the world?s largest elephant population, poachers are actively destroying elephants on a daily basis. [6] Poachers are now going to Botswana, which is home to the world?s largest elephant population. [6]

According to the organisation’s elephant census, Botswana hosts the most important variety of African savanna elephants with about 130,000 elephants, greater than triple the scale of Tanzania’s elephant inhabitants and virtually eight occasions that of South Africa. [6] With its unfenced parks and wide open spaces, landlocked Botswana has the largest elephant population in Africa, at over 135,000. [9] An elephant splashes in the waters of the Chobe river in Botswana, which has Africas largest elephant population. [6] Botswana is known to have the largest elephant population on the African continent and is considered a haven for the pachyderms. [6]

Conservationists found 87 elephant carcasses while conducting a wildlife survey in the country. [6]

The lifetime jail, without parool is for the TRADERS, those who arrange the poaching, provide them with guns, ammunition, etc. and has the contacts with the overseas il/legal importers, in China or any other country who is still importing ivory tusks. [13] Tusks from an ivory seizure in 2015 in Singapore sorted into pairs by the process developed by Wasser and his team. [10] While sorting through 38 large shipments of ivory seized by law enforcement between 2011 and 2015, Wasser and his colleagues also developed ways to identify pairs of tusks based on diameter; color; and the location of the gum line, where the elephant’s lip rested on the tusk. [49] Whenever he and his colleagues would investigate a shipment of ivory, they?d try to pair the tusks up and, to cut down on costs, analyze just one from each pair. [12] DNA from dung and tusks helped expose the three major groups behind most of Africa?s ivory smuggling. [12] Around 20km away, another decomposed carcass was found but when EWB led rangers to it, the tusks were still intact, suggesting it was not killed for ivory. [7] After closer inspection it appears that most of the animals were killed for their tusks within the past three weeks. [6] Brutal injuries on the animals? dead bodies suggested they were killed for their tusks. [6]

“All carcasses presumed to be poached, because all of them had their skulls chopped to remove their tusks,” writes Chase. [6] “The overlapping origin of the tusks in the matching seizures also suggested that these cartels were probably supporting the poaching operations on the ground. [10] The team found that 26 tusk samples were a perfect match for tusks found in other seizures, pointing to the practice of segregating tusks for shipment. [11] The team eventually found 26 cases where a tusk from one seizure perfectly matched a tusk from another. [12] They found that in every case they examined, the two shipments containing matching tusks passed through a common port, and were shipped close together in time. [10] What?s more, it provides a more direct method for the policing of illegal trade in ivory tusks, and strengthening ongoing cases against cartels and individuals. [11] This suggests that tusks frequently get separated as they make their way from poachers to export cartels, even if they eventually end up in the same place. [12] In terms of methods, Wasser and his colleagues sampled the DNA of tusks taken from 38 seizures from 2006 to 2015, including seizures made in Singapore, Malawi, Hong Kong, Cameroon, and other entry ports. [11] Wasser, who is a conservationist at the University of Washington, recently investigated a seizure that comprised 1,800 tusks, most of which were under two feet long. [12] By cross-referencing the DNA from an unknown tusk to this map, Wasser can pinpoint the tooth?s source to within 200 miles. [12] By comparing DNA samples from tusks from large shipments that were collected from 2011 to 2014, they were able to match up tusks from multiple shipments, even though they weren’t testing them all. [13] Two tusks from this shipment matched those from two later seizures in Togo, in August 2013 and January 2014. [12] The Malaysia seizure, in fact, included tusks with matches in two other seizures in Togo in 2013 and 2014. [10] The team noticed that in many seizures, over half of the tusks were unpaired. [12]

All the creatures appeared to have had their tusks removed, raising suspicion they were poached. [48] Samuel Wasser has noticed that the tusks are getting smaller. [12] “Connecting the tusks gives you a tremendous amount of information,” Wasser says. [12]

There was high overlap in the geographic origin of tusks in the shipments. [10]

The ministry said that a “verification mission” between July and August had found that a majority of the animals had not been poached, but rather died from natural causes and “retaliatory killings as a result of human and wildlife conflicts.” [6] The Botswana Government says that of the 53 that were initially reported “the majority were not poached but rather died from natural causes and retaliatory killings as a result of human and wildlife conflicts.” [6]

I can say it’s just normal, like any other year, we haven’t recorded any mass killing,” said Churchill Collyer, the deputy director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. [7]

The latest killings were found at the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, which attracts tourists from across the globe. [6] The killings have been found close to Botswana?s protected Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary, which attracts tourists worldwide. [6]

The Botswana government has issued a statement refuting local and international reports of an alleged elephant poaching massacre that has resulted in the carcasses of 87 slain elephants being found near the Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary. [6] The reported increase in elephant poaching in Botswana could reflect a trend in which poachers move into new territories as conditions become more difficult in regions where they usually operate. [6] The dead elephants were discovered by Elephants Without Borders, which using planes to survey elephant poaching from the sky. [6] The findings of the 2016 Great Elephant Census, an aerial survey of African savannah elephants by Elephants Without Borders and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, showed the animals’ population decreased by at least 30 percent to 144,000 individuals from 2007 to 2014. [6] Elephants Without Borders said the grim discovery of scores of elephant carcasses, made over several weeks during an aerial survey, is believed to be one of Africa’s worst mass poaching sprees. [6] The government added that Elephants Without Borders had reported counting 53 elephant carcasses during its survey. [6] The elephant carcasses were discovered during aerial surveys conducted by Elephants Without Borders. [6] Although the discovery of 87 dead elephants was alarming enough in itself, BBC News wrote that Elephants Without Borders’ aerial survey is only at the halfway point, which could point to a good chance of many more elephant carcasses being found as the survey continues. [6]

“When I compare this to figures and data from the Great Elephant Census, which I conducted in 2015, we are recording double the number of fresh poached elephants than anywhere else in Africa,” Chase told the BBC. [6] “When I examine this to figures and information from the Great Elephant Census, which I carried out in 2015, we’re recording double the variety of recent poached elephants than anyplace else in Africa,” Chase mentioned. [6]

The conservation ecologist said he had recorded double the number of poached elephants than anywhere else in Africa when compared to figures from the 2015 Great Elephant Census. [6]

Botswana’s high elephant population numbers had been maintained for years thanks to strict conservation measures, including a ban on elephant trophy hunting and a controversial shoot-to-kill policy for poachers. [6] Despite the numbers, wildlife organizations warn us that Tanzania’s elephant population might become extinct if serious measures are not taken soon to reduce poaching. [6] According to the BBC, Botswana has around 130,000 elephants, which is the largest elephant population in the world. [6] Botswana, which is home to the largest elephant population in the world, according to the Great Elephant Census, is also the grounds for “37 percent of its continent’s endangered elephant population,” NPR reported, but that is steadily declining as the continent’s elephant population decreased 30 percent from 2007 to 2014. [6] Botswana is home to the world’s largest elephant populations and has been praised for its protection of elephants in the past. [6]

Many of the elephants were killed within the last few weeks and three white rhinos in the same area were poached and killed within the last three months, according to an Elephant Poaching Incident Report Reference written by Chase and obtained by NPR. [6] While its believed that the 87 elephants were recently poached in the last few weeks, “the varying classification and age of carcasses is indicative of a poaching frenzy which has been ongoing in the same area for a long time,” according to an Elephant Poaching Incident Report written by Chase. [6]

Elephant poaching in Africa declined for a 5th straight year in 2016, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, but the trade in illegal ivory remains relatively stable. [6] Using these methods, the team in 2015 showed that there were two major elephant poaching hotspots in Africa: a hub for forest elephant ivory that includes Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, and a hub for savanna elephant ivory that includes Tanzania and Mozambique. [10] The size of elephant poaching is by way of some distance the biggest I have noticed or examine anyplace in Africa thus far,” mentioned Dr Mike Chase from Elephants With out Borders. [6] The scale of elephant poaching is by far the largest I’ve noticed or read about anyplace in Africa to date,” said Dr Mike Chase from Elephants With out Borders. [6]

Before concluding the work, the group’s director Mike Chase said the survey pointed to elephant poaching on a scale “by far the largest” in Africa. [7]

Elephant poaching in Botswana: Prime tourism concessions now. [6] Elephants Without Borders ( EWB ), a non-profit conservation outfit, completed the Great Elephant Census in 2016 after three long years. [6] Continent-wide elephant numbers dropped by 30 percent between 2007 and 2014, according to the Great Elephant Census, an 18-country comprehensive aerial elephant count conducted by Elephants Without Borders that was completed in 2016. [6] He further added; “When I compare this to figures and data from the Great Elephant Census, which I conducted in 2015, we are recording double the number of fresh poached elephants than anywhere else in Africa”. [6] The numbers of poached elephants in recent times across the continent appear to have doubled since 2015, when the Great Elephant Census was first conducted. [6]

In line with the outcomes of the final elephant census, the primary aerial survey of African savanna elephants confirmed a dramatic discount of their numbers. [6] The Great Elephant Census, conducted in 2015, estimated that a third of Africa’s elephants had been killed in the last decade while 60% of elephants in Tanzania have been lost in the last five years alone. [6] Elephant poaching really took off during the last decade, and it?s estimated that 111,000 individuals –up to a fifth of the full African population–have been killed since 2006. [12]

The government has not determined the cause of death in all 87 cases, but a recent visit by the authorities to a national park surveyed by the charity found 19 dead elephants, with fewer than a third killed by poachers. [15] In a visit to Chobe National Park last week, officials counted 19 dead elephants, only six of them killed by poachers, the government said. [15]

In May, Mr. Masisi?s government also decided to withdraw military weapons from its Department of Wildlife and National Parks rangers, which Elephants Without Borders later blamed for a rise in poaching. [15] Scientists and Botswana?s government now say that the number of deaths attributed to poachers, while unknown, has been vastly overstated, and have accused the wildlife charity that made the claim, Elephants Without Borders, of peddling false information. [15] The government immediately disputed both the group?s numbers and the assumption that all the dead elephants had been hunted for their ivory, calling the reports “false and misleading.” [15] An investigation by Botswana authorities has established conclusively that the widely circulated report of a “poaching massacre” of 87 elephants is false. [50] Botswana was the last safe haven for the elephants, and it was safer than most places because of the way the protection was enforced, by arming the rangers that were managing the anti- poaching unit. [16] Botswana is home to the world?s largest population of elephants, with some estimates putting the numbers at more than a third of Africa?s total. [15]

By extracting elephant DNA from illegal ivory, the team mapped the passage of ivory shipments across multiple cartels and in multiple countries, and provided evidence to connect smugglers with poaching operations. [21] Several times a year in African ports such as Mombasa and Togo, cargo containing tons of illegal elephant ivory is shipped by smuggling cartels, destined for countries such as Malaysia and Singapore where it?s sold and stockpiled. [21] According to the World Wildlife Federation, during the 1980?s, an estimated 100,000 elephants were killed each year, and up to 80% of herds were lost in some regions. [18] The Botswana government is denying the EWB’s claims, saying the 87 elephants were not poached in recent months or killed anywhere, they are calling the report “false and misleading.” [14] Poachers killed 22 elephants, some of them babies, allegedly from a helicopter over Garamba National Park. [21] Annual totals gathered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species record numerous cases of poaching on a larger scale, including 225 elephants illegally killed in 2012 in a single game preserve in Kenya. [15] The charity Elephants Without Borders has been accused of exaggerating the poaching problem to try to influence the country?s government. [15] Critics say that Elephants Without Borders exaggerated the poaching problem to try to influence Botswana?s new leaders, who are considering rolling back contentious hunting bans and moderating the country?s militarized approach to conservation. [15] “In common with many conservation and animal rights groups, Elephants Without Borders is opposed to hunting,” he added. [15]

Wasser, who leads the University of Washington Center for Conservation Biology, has come to specialize in mapping elephants from their DNA. The scientist was asked by Interpol to assess a six-and-a-half ton ivory seizure in 2004, which marked the start of his forensic work. [21] Specialist on eastern and southern Africa, politics and human aspects of conservation, lion-human relations, elephant conservation and ivory, rhino conservation, journalism, radio and propaganda. [15] Africa is known for the last remaining sanctuary which holds about 130,000 elephants, including the ones found dead. [14] Col. George Bogatsu of the Botswana military marking a dead elephant this month. [15] The carcass of an elephant in the district of Chobe, in northern Botswana, this month. [15] The governments secretary, said the EWB told the government there were 53 elephants dead, which weren’t considered deaths from poaching. [14] Female elephant orphans face a hard-knock life compared to their counterparts with surviving mothers, and that doesn?t bode well for the species? ability to bounce back from the poaching crisis, which kills some 30,000 elephants each year. [22] Wasser created this map in 2015 to identify poaching hotspots from DNA sampled mainly from elephant poop. (“It was the most accessible,” he admitted.) [21] Even if Mr. Chase had counted 87 elephants, it was “simply not possible to attribute cause of death from fixed-wing aircraft,” Professor Alexander of Virginia Tech said in a telephone interview, except in the instances where poachers had tried to cover the carcasses with brush. [15]

We have the world’s largest elephant population, and it’s open season for poachers,” Chase told the BBC. [6] “We have the world?s largest elephant population and it?s open season for poachers,” according to Dr. Chase. [6]

The country is home to the world’s largest elephant population, and elephant numbers have remained stable there for the past 15 years. [6] Elephant populations in Chobe National Park showed a continuing decline since 2006, while population numbers for Chobe district were the lowest ever since surveys began in 1993. [6]

Several hours spent flying over the reserve which borders Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, showed six elephant carcasses, four of which appeared to have been poached. [7] Eighty-seven elephant carcasses were found in the country, months after it disarmed its anti-poaching unit. [6] During the period of July 5 to August 1 only 58 elephant carcasses were officially reported to the government which, upon further investigation, found that most of those elephants had died due to natural causes, permanent secretary Thato Raphaka said. [6] “We started flying the survey on July 10, and we have counted 90 elephant carcasses since the survey commenced,” Chase told Agence France-Presse (AFP). [6] “We started flying the survey on July 10, and we have counted 90 elephant carcasses since the survey commenced,” said Mike Chase, the charity director. [6]

Elephant poaching in Africa has dropped for five consecutive years to levels last witnessed over a decade ago. [6] Officials added that since the start of the year, a total of 63 elephants had died across the country and that there had been no noticeable increase in elephant poaching. [7] The continent?s elephant population has plummeted in recent years, from around 4 million in the early 1900s, to just an estimated 415,000 today. [6] The country has the largest elephant population in Africa at over 135,000. [6] The country has a relatively stable elephant population, and the census estimates that there are 25,959 savanna elephants in study sites in the country. [6]

The organization conducts an elephant census for the government every four years. [6] “When I compare this to figures and data from the Great Elephant Census, which I conducted in 2015, we are recording double the number of fresh poached elephants than anywhere else in Africa.” [6] According to the Great Elephant Census, the number of elephants decreased by 30 percent between 2007 and 2014, or about 144,000 animals. [6]

Back in 2015, University of Washington conservation biologist Samuel K. Wasser came up with what looked like a promising solution to Africa?s elephant poaching problem. [11] The unsettling rise in elephant poaching is aligned with the recent decision to disarm Botswana’s anti-poaching units. [6] Botswana’s government said Tuesday that there had been inaccurate reporting on elephant poaching. [6] To him, these cartels aren?t just the core of the elephant poaching problem, but also its greatest vulnerability. [12]

A map from that report showed Botswana’s elephant population was in stable condition as neighboring Angola, Zimbabwe, and a small area of Zambia saw decreasing populations. [6]

“The Botswana government values wildlife more than human life,” said John Ntemwa, the leader of the Zambezi Youth Forum, a youth movement based in Katima Mulilo in the Caprivi Strip, which claims to monitor and catalogue BDF killings in the region. [6] The country is home to the world?s largest population of African elephants. [15] This year, an Obama-era ban on importing elephant trophies from several African countries was lifted by President Trump, whose son Donald Trump Jr. is an enthusiastic big game hunter. [21] In 10 years in central Africa, we have lost as many as 70% of the elephants. [19] Since Elephants Without Borders released its figures, online petitions have proliferated, calling on Botswana?s government to maintain its hunting ban and to rearm rangers. [15] “Elephants Without Borders clearly is not used to competition of views,” Ms. Dow said, adding, “We have governance issues here.” [15]

April 30, President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta set fire to over 105 tons of elephant and rhinoceros ivory in Kenya’s Nairobi National Park. [19] Hear what it takes to heal a traumatized elephant from the keepers at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in Nairobi National Park. [22]

“No one, and I repeat, no one, has any business in trading in ivory, for this trade means death — the death of our elephants and the death of our natural heritage. [19] When rangers were stripped of their guns, the poaching of elephants rose. [16] Weak law enforcement efforts and corruption are two of the many obstacles to stop the poaching of elephants and trafficking of their materials. [18] How orphaned elephants adapt to being motherless could have consequences for how well the species as a whole can recover from the poaching crisis. [22] Because the area was so big and wasn’t closed off with gates, it made it easier for the poachers to get to the elephants. [14] A species that boasted a vast population now lags on a few thousand surviving elephants. [16] Biologists have studied elephants in this region for decades, so their demographics, movements, and other behaviors were already well understood, making this population ideal to study. [22] “If we are really trying to save elephants, we have to treat them like the populations who are survivors of genocides,” she says. [22] Recently on my visit to the Omaha?s Henry Doorly Zoo, I witnessed the majesty of the African elephants. [16] According to Wikipedia, elephants have a large brain and are considered one of the most intelligent of all the animals and are capable of quite a large range of emotions (similar to humans), including joy, playfulness, grief and mourning. [18] Gay Bradshaw, an ecologist, psychologist, and the cofounder and director of Kerulos Center for Nonviolence, a nonprofit focused on inspiring change in humans that will lead to a better psychological well-being in animals, says that many of these young elephants are also mentally traumatized from losing their mothers and other close matriarchs in their herds. (Read: ” Orphan Elephants Lack Social Knowledge Key for Survival.”) [22] ” can adapt socially, but that misses the whole picture,” says Shifra Goldenberg, an international project manager working on elephant conservation at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the lead author of the study. [22] The elephant, as has been said, is an iconic symbol of our country. [19] Growing Chinese demand for products made from elephant skin is a rapidly growing threat to the species? survival in neighboring Myanmar, a new report warns. [20] Those focused on “charismatic megafauna,” such as elephants and rhinoceroses, were “often totally misguided,” Dr. Hschle added, even while other groups did important work in the sector. [15] The study monitored the behavior of young elephants in northern Kenya around Buffalo Springs National Reserve and Samburu National Reserve. [22]

Tusks with identical genotypes were considered a match, and ultimately 26 pairs were found across 11 shipments of ivory. [21] Ali was arrested in Tanzania in 2014 in connection with two tonnes of ivory – 228 whole tusks and 74 pieces – found in a Mombasa warehouse. [17] Wasser (left) and his team sample ivory from tusks in Malaysia in 2014. [21] Many of the seized tusks shared a geographic origin, “suggesting these cartels are probably supporting poaching operations on ground,” Wasser theorized. [21]

In 2009 poachers began targeting the animals in this area, especially focusing on older females because of their large tusks, according to Goldenberg. [22] It was later found that tusks from the Malaysia cargo matched tusks from two separate seizures in Mombasa and Togo. [21] They found 26 of the 38 matched a tusk seized at a different time. [17] Four of the tusk pairs could be traced to a 2012 slaughter in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the hotspots that Wasser had previously discovered. [21] They also discovered that two shipments with matching tusks would frequently pass through the same port, usually within 10 months of each other. [17] They ran DNA tests on 38 seizures from 2006 to 2015 to find out where the tusks came from. [17] Wasser said that even though most of the DNA data relates to tusks that were trafficked from 2011 to 2014, a period of rapid escalation, the science is still relevant today. [17] Tusks were sorted based on appearance to avoid testing two sides of one pair. (Genotyping a single tusk, Wasser noted, cost $110.) [21] Lead author Samuel Wasser, a professor of biology at the University of Washington, said an “important breakthrough” came when experts realised about half of the tusks were not in pairs. [17]

Tusks provide protection, allow for survival through drought, and serve as natural plows to cultivate the African agricultural environment. [19] “We were able to identify what we believe are the three major cartels shipping tusks out of Africa.” [17]

“Botswana has a growing, healthy elephant population precisely because the government has done such an amazing job,” Professor Alexander said. [15] Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the world. [14]

In a statement last week, Elephants Without Borders insisted that it was “completely apolitical in its work,” but said that it had felt “a moral and patriotic duty” to report the high number of elephant carcasses observed during its survey, which began on July 3 and will finish in October. [15] The ban allowed some elephant populations to recover, especially in those areas that had adequate protection against poachers. [18]

The latest findings were revealed Thursday in ” System Error, Reboot Required: Review of online ivory trade in Japan,” which finds the overall number of elephant ivory items for sale on Yahoo Japan had fallen by 55 percent–from 9,788 to 4,414–compared to a similar survey in 2017. [28] The buoyant ivory sales on Yahoo Japan were in marked contrast to other major Japanese retail platforms, notably Rakuten-Ichiba, Rakuma and Mercari–all of whom introduced voluntary ivory bans in 2017 following international concerns about the sale of ivory in domestic markets fueling demand and leading to the poaching of elephants. [28] The bottom line: The ivory trade must be squelched in order to save African elephants, and the new study offers investigators another tool needed to crack down on transnational criminal elements responsible for the largest shipments. [30] All the ivory had come from one population of elephants in southern Zambia. [27] “WWF through its representatives in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America will be calling upon Yahoo Japan to institute an immediate voluntary ban on trading elephant ivory through its platforms. [28] That number is even more alarming when we consider the sizable number of elephants poached each day; approximately 100 elephants are killed daily. [31] Now scientists are using DNA tests to connect traffickers with elephants and rhinos that have been killed. [25] Two different groups of scientists have used computers to build complete lists of the DNA of almost all of the elephants and rhinos in Africa. [25] Around 30,000 elephants are slaughtered every year in Africa to satisfy international demand for ivory, the WWF said in a statement. [26] About 100 years ago there were approximately 10 million elephants in Africa. [23]

One of the scientists told reporters the analysis allowed his team to identify where the elephant was poached and link the poaching to the underlying criminal network. [24] They then sampled 38 large ivory seizures made worldwide between 2006 and 2015, and compared them to the map to identify where the elephants came from, accurate to about 185 miles. [30] It is also easy to determine that an ivory ban is a great step toward saving elephants. [31] Japan has consumed ivory from at least 262,500 elephants since 1970, the vast majority from large, mature adults. [23] African elephants and rhinos have long been hunted by poachers. [25] People hope that by punishing poachers and traffickers, they can save the lives of more African elephants and rhinos. [25] With only 400,000 animals left on the continent, these crime networks threaten to wipe out every last African elephant within the next two decades. [27] He has spent much of his career collecting elephant poop from every corner of Africa, amounting to a genetic map of most of the animals on the continent. [27] The scientists collected DNA from almost all of the elephants and rhinos in Africa. [25] These all add up to a vast number of elephants getting slaughtered each year. [31] African elephants intertwine their trunks, Amboseli National Park, Kenya. [30] There are only about 400,000 African elephants and 20,000 White rhinos left. [25]

Some groups claim that selling permits to hunt elephants raises money for conservation. [31] I believe that most of us know the dangers that elephants in Africa have faced over the last decades. [31] Why do elephants get poached so often? This is a pretty complex issue. [31] Without action, the elephant DNA in his database may turn from a tool to save the species into a grim record of the animal?s extinction. [27]

Why it matters: With up to one-tenth of the African elephant population dying at the hands of poachers each year, halting poaching is an increasingly urgent task. [30]

By identifying tusk pairs that had been separated after poaching, the scientists were able to link 11 of the 38 large ivory shipments together during the 2011 to 2014 period. [30] Scientists then used DNA from the seized tusks and identified three main cartels that smuggle ivory in Africa. [24] However the study found that the combined total value of ivory traded fell by only 16 percent, to JPY 37.8 million (USD 340,626) over the same time period, largely because of an increase in the sales of whole tusks, from 22 to 35. [28] Tusks from an ivory seizure in 2015 in Singapore after they have been sorted into pairs by the process developed by Wasser and his team. [51] With 30,000 or so being killed for their tusks per year they will be extinct in the wild within 10 years. [23] DNA can be found in any part of the animal blood, skin, hair, horns, or tusks. [25] Now when tusks or horns are found on a ship in another country, DNA tests can show where they came from. [25] On the last seizure he sampled–1,800 tusks found in Singapore earlier this year–two-thirds of them were shorter than his arm, thick as a quarter at the base. [27] An average of 36% of the total number of tusks were sampled in each seizure. [30] The main reason for people trying to poach them is for their ivory tusks. [31] Those large, white tusks are what make up the illegal ivory trade. [31] Ivory is actually an elephant’s tusk which they use because it’s theirs to use. [23] After four days of this, Wasser usually has a pretty good idea of which tusks are part of a pair, which helps him set one aside so he?s not sampling from the same animal twice. [27] Then other people, called “traffickers”, buy the tusks and horns and sneak them out of the country on a ship. [25] “Sam, did you look in the other seizures for those missing tusks?” he asked. [27] They used sorting methods based on the tusks’ physical characteristics, combined with DNA testing, to identify tusk pairs that had been separated and shipped to different destinations from the same port, often within less than 10 months of each other. [30]

Kelly Landen, program manager for Elephants Without Borders, said the group had been flying since July 10 for the inspection of elephants in association with the Botswana National Parks and Wildlife Department, which hires the group to conduct inspections every four years, according to National Geographic.[36] Elephants Without Borders said it discovered the dead animals when it began conducting a census of these animals within Botswana that began in mid-July. [36]

Previous work found that poaching hotspots are slow to change ( 5 ) and that most of this ivory is from recently killed elephants ( 13 ). [33] High overlap in the genetically identified geographic origins of the ivory in the matched seizures, along with the convergence of large quantities of ivory to the same cartels over time, also implies a strong link between the cartels and the poaching hotspots where those elephants are being killed. [33] Wasser S. K., Brown L., Mailand C., Mondol S., Clark W., Laurie C., Weir B. S., Genetic assignment of large seizures of elephant ivory reveals Africa’s major poaching hotspots. [33] These methods were able to statistically assign geographic origin of ivory samples to within 300 km of the poaching source by comparing their genotypes at 16 microsatellite DNA loci to a comprehensive DNA reference map of elephants assembled from across Africa. [33] According to AnimalMatters.org, “96 elephants are being killed in Africa per day for their ivory, and only five rhino species remain in existence.” [52] As of 2015, there were around 130,451 elephants in Botswana, more than in any other country in Africa. [38] Botswana has been a stable place for elephants for the last 15 years, but these recent decisions are a major lapse in their historically strong anti-poaching and protectionist policies. [38] These elephant deaths come just as Botswana has begun to reduce efforts that have, in the past, discouraged poaching and prevented hunting. [38] In response to the reports, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Thato Y. Raphaka, issued a statement on behalf of Botswana saying that “At no point in the last months or recently were 87 or 90 elephants killed in one incident in any place in Botswana.” [38] BOTSWANA: Conservationists have discovered the corpses of 90 elephants in Botswana in the last two months. [36] For a long time, Botswana was thought to be a stable region for elephants, partly because of these government protections. [38]

In 16 years, 16,360 elephants were killed in the largest concentration of conserved animals in the country. [37] Elephant poachers kill as many as 40,000 elephants each year as part of an international, illicit ivory industry worth billions. [32] Elephants Without Borders said in their aerial survey that they counted 87 elephants, and that their skulls had been hacked open and ivory removed. [35] The 6.0–metric ton Malaysia seizure is also noteworthy for including nearly 4 metric tons of savannah and 2 metric tons of forest elephant ivory, respectively, originating from Africa’s two largest poaching hotspots ( 5 ). [33] Ivory from recently killed elephants can be labelled as ‘old’ ivory and no one will be the wiser. [29] File photo of an elephant killed by poachers in Niassa reserve. [37] AT RISK African elephants, like those shown here in Kenya?s Amboseli National Park, are at risk of extinction because of the ivory trade. [32] The illegal trade in African elephant ivory is no exception. [33]

To help stop the plan to reinstate trophy hunting of elephants in Botswana, sign LFT’s petition here. [38] Please do not allow elephant hunting! This will severely backfire for Botswana. [38] Elephants without Borders put out a report in early August about counting 50-something elephants with their faces hacked off, and the government didn?t dispute it. [35] This new Government has done a huge disservice to elephants and to precious wildlife. [38] One of the most daring episodes came in December of last year when poachers shot down a family of seven elephants less than 10 kilometres from the reserve base camp, but rangers were only able to reach the site 24 hours later. [37] Report on the conservation status of African and Asian elephants, trade in elephant specimens, the African Elephant Action Plan, and MIKE and ETIS (2017); https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/com/sc/69/E-SC69-51-01.pdf.[33] They pass the mirror test and are self-aware, they grieve their dead, they can distinguish between good and bad humans and can also communicate to other elephants who have never been there how to get to rescue sanctuaries where medical help can be found should they be injured. [29] The high cost of munitions needed to kill elephants on such a large scale further suggests that these same cartels are directly or indirectly funding poaching operations on the ground. [33] Included in this analysis were 10 samples (9 forest and 1 hybrid elephant samples) from a May 2012 poaching event in Garamba National Park, DRC. [33] Elephants, big cats, rhinos, and gorillas are among the many animals that are poached. [52] Now that you have no source of income thanks to that elephant, you decide to take the ivory and sell it. [35] A total of 20 ivory samples (10 forest and 10 savannah elephant samples) were selected for the high quality of their initial assay results, with all 20 samples having 16 confirmed loci. [33] In the dilution data, the largest allele at this locus in a savannah elephant sample was 173, and in the matching pairs of ivory samples discussed below, the largest allele at this locus in a savannah elephant sample was 177.) [33] Currently the UK is the world’s supplier of legal exported of elephant ivory. [29] If humans could breed elephants like cows everything would be made of ivory. [29] Man I feel so bad, my grandparents bought, back in the day, an ivory carving of an elephant that got passed down to me when they passed, it?s super cool and intricate, probably worth a lot but it sucks that so many people bought stuff like that so much that elephants are going extinct. [29] While feeding elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, one of calves moved suddenly advancing towards her causing the former model to loose footing. [34] A 49-year-old German woman was trampled to death by an elephant in a popular game reserve in northern Zimbabwe as she tried to photograph it, a wildlife official said Thursday. [34] For each species, this produced an approximation to the posterior distribution of the location of origin of each sample of that species in the seizure, represented as weights on a 67 × 67 grid of equally sized cells covering the relevant portion (forest or savannah elephant range) of the continent of Africa. [33] Elephant reference samples of known geographic origin (mostly dung but also some hair and tissue) were obtained from across Africa and assayed in replicate at 16 dinucleotide microsatellite loci ( 5 ). [33] Although the government argues that lifting the ban would benefit tourism and reduce human and elephant conflicts, Dr. Chase disagrees. [38] Not only have anti-poaching units been disarmed, the government is also in the process of lifting a hunting ban on elephants, which would open the region to trophy hunting. [38] The country has long been a refuge for more than a third of Africa’s remaining elephants (around 130,000) thanks to its strict environmental protection that, until recently, gave its conservation staff the authority to shoot suspected hunters furtive. [36] These inconsistencies affected larger alleles, which were found almost exclusively in forest elephants. [33] These elephants are worth more than the useless human lives of poachers and criminal gangs involved in this sick illegal criminal industry. [38] This means poachers are moving to areas with more elephants. [35] One elephant is worth all of the poachers and trophy hunters in the world. [38] What if I told you most poachers actually do eat the elephant. [29] China has about 1.4 billion people (nearly 1/5) and the demand for ivory is enormous. 10 years ago they lifted a ban a and the ivory trade has since spiked 10x spike to ~30000 elephants a year as the Chinese economy has exploded. [29] Let?s say an elephant tramples your crops and wipes out your source of income for the next 6 months or the year. [35] For each species, the population-specific F ST estimates ( 9 ) were computed with the same 17 forest and 38 savannah elephant reference population locations used in allele frequency estimation. [33] We refer to two different species (sometimes called subspecies) of African elephants: forest ( Loxodonta cyclotis ) and savannah ( Loxodonta africana ). [33] This is so sad ! Please help save the elephants ! We humans should be taking care and protecting all animals and their environment. [38] Heck, elephants are one of the animals on the list of critters that we think might actually be sapient so. [29] Elephants aren’t just maybe sapient, they factually are–elephants are people, along with a few other animals, imo. [29] Hunting elephants will not solve any conflicts between elephants and humans, Dr. Chase argues. [38] Instead of hunting elephants, Dr. Chase has a better solution. [38]

Japan’s lack of adequate regulation of its domestic ivory market means the country is failing to live up to its commitments under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which calls on countries to take every measure to ensure domestic ivory markets do not contribute to elephant poaching or illegal trade. [28] I would argue that if your main goal is conservation how can you justify killing something? If someone just wants to donate there are several organizations including the Humane Society and the World Wildlife Fund. [31] “Targeting the major export cartels could thus provide some of the most direct ways to police this illegal trade and stop the killing. [26]

If you want to save the elephants, offer 10,000 dollars for the heads of cartel members.[29] Two Tanzanians have been trampled to death by elephants in the north of the country, police said Monday. [34] This phenomenon did not occur with all forest elephant samples, nor did it occur with all alleles over 200 bp, but it did occur with multiple forest elephant samples from different seizures. [33] FWIW, when I spoke to Mike Chase at EWB, he thought there could be a link between the disarming of the anti-poaching unit and the elephant deaths, but he wasn?t particularly emphatic about the former causing the latter. [35] An elephant that was part of a group hunting a man-eating tigress in Maharashtra ran astray overnight and trampled a woman to death, an official said today. [34] The elephant in the Niassa National Reserve is at risk of extinction. [37] There were plans to relocate elephants to the United States and have them roam in national parks. [29] “The Government of Botswana wishes to state that it is unfortunate that some media reports attribute the increase in elephant poaching primarily to the removal of weapons from the National Wildlife and National Parks Department’s Poaching Unit (DWNP)”, published the government on your Facebook page. [36] Recent reports from nonprofit Elephants Without Borders, contracted by the Botswana government to conduct an aerial survey of elephants and wildlife, show a startling jump in elephant poaching. [38] “Today we counted 48 elephant carcasses,” Elephants Without Borders founder and elephant biologist, Dr. Michael Chase, wrote in a report for Conservation Trust on August 3rd, adding that five of the carcasses were killed recently. [38]

One of the West African tusks in the Malaysia seizure matched a tusk from a seizure made in the warehouse of an individual alleged to be a major ivory trafficker in West Africa (Togo Aug 2013 0.7t). [33] Our approach stemmed from our discovery that over half the tusks in the large ivory seizures we have sampled appeared to be unpaired (that is, only one of the two tusks from the same animal could be identified in the shipment). [33] While sampling confiscated ivory, his team noticed that tusks from the same animal often ended up in different shipments, linking those containers to the same people. [32]

Among 11 of the seizures, all made from December 2011 to May 2014, the team found a number of links — for example, two shipments containing genetically matched tusks that were seized from the same port within a short time of one another. [32] Each cartel was identified by a chain of multiple linked seizures exported or about to be exported out of Africa from the same port, with the two matched seizures in any given link occurring close in time and composed of tusks largely derived from the same poaching locale. [33]

In the new study, Wasser?s team sampled DNA from tusks from 38 large seizures of ivory and hunted for genetically identical tusks within that pool. [32] Large ivory seizures made between December 2011 and May 2014, with ( A ) and without ( B ) genetically matched tusks between the seizures. [33] That finding strongly suggests that the matching tusk in the Malaysia seizure was taken from the West African trafficker’s warehouse and added to the Malaysia shipment by the West African trafficker ( 5 ). [33] Undoubtedly, the savannah tusks in the second Togo seizure were removed from the Malaysia seizure prior to its export out of Togo (presumably by the aforementioned West African trafficker), only to be reexported in that 3.9–metric ton Togo seizure 14 months later. [33]

Weather the animal is killed for its tusks or its meat, its all the same to the animal. [29] These animals are targeted by poachers for their tusks, resulting in poachers chopping off animal?s tusks while the animals are still alive. [52] Lastly, and perhaps the solution that brings a bit of lightheartedness to this tragic situation, is to modify tusks with pink dye, rendering them useless to poachers while not harming the animal. [52] Shooting these animals for sport destroys the social structure of the population as well as removing their genes for large tusks from the gene pool. [38] An average of 36% of the total number of tusks were sampled per seizure, using methods detailed in Wasser et al. ( 5 ). [33] Both models agree that the number of sample matches between two seizures increases when they share a port ( P : P < 0.0001 overall, P < 0.0003 savannah only), the time separating the two seizures decreases ( T : P < 0.0001 for both models), and the overlap in the assigned geographic origins of the tusks in the two seizures increases ( O : P < 0.03 overall, P < 0.003 savannah only). [33] Since our sampling protocol was sufficient to identify these matches, we recommend this protocol be used in future sampling efforts: randomly sampling 35% of the total number of tusks per seizure, after excluding one tusk from all visually identified pairs ( 5 ). [33] A genotyped tusk in one seizure can match at most one genotyped tusk in the other, so the observed number of matches must satisfy 0 ≤ mij ≤ n, where n min( ni, nj ). [33] The size of the cartel should be reflected by the number of links in the chain of genetically matched tusks connecting multiple shipments. [33] “All carcasses presumed to be poached, because all of them had their skulls chopped to remove their tusks,” he said. [38] Briefly, after first excluding one tusk from each visually identified pair, all remaining tusks were divided into groups based on similar physical characteristics (for example, presence versus absence of burn marks caused by poachers to remove tissue, writing on tusks, color). [33] “A clear order has been issued for tusks of a specific weight, and I suspect that large ivory is in great demand, considering that there are few large tusks left in Africa.” [36] Isn’t that stuff all legal ivory from a different time period? Or made of other types of ivory like mammoth tusk? I watched a show where they actually went undercover to one of those shops and most of the stuff was legal except they did end up busting the dealer because he was going to get real ivory for them. [29]

The end result is massive disruption of the population and, in time, a steady decrease in tusk size amongst surviving bulls. [38] We hypothesized that tusk pairs from the same animal often become separated en route from the kill site to export location, resulting in the two tusks being shipped in separate consignments. [33] Trophy hunters concentrate, not on the younger animals, but on the older bulls carrying the biggest tusks. [38] Those samples were matched to tusks in a seizure being exported out of Mombasa after transiting Entebbe, Uganda. [33] The Malaysia seizure (Dec 2016 6.0t) passed through the Mombasa and Togo ports and included tusks with matches in two other seizures at each of those ports. [33] The genetically assigned geographic origin of each tusk within the seizure is illustrated by blue circles. [33] Matched tusks between seizures are indicated by solid red circles. [33] On average, we estimated that 2.25% of samples per seizure matched tusks shipped in a separate seizure (table S5). [33] 5 of those 10 (top row Fig. 1B ) shared all three of the predictive matching criteria with one or more of the 13 seizures in Fig. 1A : shipped from a common port, close in time, and with high overlap in the assigned geographic origins of tusks in those seizures ( Fig. 1, A and B). [33] The paired shipments occur close in time from the same initial place of export and have high overlap in the geographic origins of their tusks. [33] All sampled tusks were genotyped at 16 microsatellite DNA loci ( 5 ). [33] Tusks were then randomly sampled proportionately from each group until the desired sample size was obtained. [33]

“Poachers are now targeting Botswana with their weapons, we have the largest elephant population in the world and it’s an open season for poachers.” [36] He argues that although elephant populations have been generally stable in Botswana for the past 15 years, it is human population growth that is leading to more conflicts as well as elephants expanding their ranges. [38]

Opponents from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana claimed that poaching was not a problem for them but that the problem was overpopulation of elephants, and that if they lost the possibility to reduce their herds and to gain finance from it (through ivory), they would not be able to manage their national parks. [43] “Our prior work on DNA testing of illegal ivory shipments showed that the major elephant ‘poaching hotspots’ in Africa were relatively few in number,” said lead and corresponding author Samuel Wasser, director of the UW Center for Conservation Biology and a professor of biology. [53] Since 1997, the ivory trade has tripled – in 2011 poachers killed 17,000 elephants, while today it is 30-40,000 a year. [43] Up to 75,000 elephants were killed every year and the turn-over of the ivory market was around 1 billion USD. Just to make a better picture – annually, Germany imported around 19 tonnes, Great Britain 21 tonnes, France 31 tonnes, Spain 28 tonnes, Italy 18 tonnes, etc. [43] It is believed that 95% population of the elephants have been killed in last 100 years, with 2010-2012 witnessing deaths of 33,000 elephants each year. [46]

Two years ago I spent time following the elephants in the Linyanti River and Okavango Deltas of Botswana. [40] Botswana is home to 130,000 elephants, the largest number in Africa. [40] A typical poaching hot-spot is a place with a sufficient number of elephants with the possibility of taking ivory from there and getting it out of the country. [43] At Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Northern Rangeland Trust in Kenya there has been no poaching of elephant or rhino in the last five years due to a sophisticated security umbrella. [40] Although elephant ivory has been banned from international trade since 1989 (with few, disgraceful exceptions ), African elephants continue to fall to poachers. [53] Save The Elephants, a conservation group based in Kenya, released the study on Tuesday, saying raw and worked ivory from Asian and African elephants is being smuggled in increasing quantities into China, the world’s biggest consumer. [42] The dead-end situation was broken, and at a CITES conference in October 1989, African elephant was reclassified in CITES Appendix I and a moratorium on ivory trade was declared. [43]

Ivory is often hidden in containers together with timber, rice, fish, etc. From the total volume of seized ivory shipments, 78% come from forest elephants (Gabon, Congo) and 22% from savannah elephants from East Africa. [43] It was a mix of ivory from various sources – from both forest and savannah elephants, from both West and East Africa. [43]

During a seizure of 6.5 tonnes of ivory in Singapore, a genetic analysis revealed that the ivory came from elephants poached in Zambia. [43] In 2009, CITES approved the 2nd experimental sale – to China and Japan – even though more that 121 tonnes of ivory had been “lost” from state stocks in the past 12 years, which represents around 11 thousand elephants. [43] For more than 20 years in Tanzania, she had led one of the biggest elephant businesses – she illegally exported around 10,000 tonnes of ivory. [43] Around 300 elephants and many other animals which came to drink died (captured poachers were sentenced to 16 years in prison). [43] For years, conservationists have litigated about how to deal with it – how many elephants can be sustained by fenced national parks and reserves, and what if there are more of them? Elephants, or landscape? More or less, two approaches to the management exist, and they define the two camps of African countries in the battle for ivory trade. [43] Other countries want to keep the trade ban and get the poaching under control (23 states of African Elephant Coalition). [43]

The shocking elephant slaughter in Botswana made headlines around the world this week. [40] Poachers use the social behaviour of elephants as well – first, they kill a calf, the whole herd gathers to it trying to figure out was happened and to help it? The poachers thus have the whole herd together and kill the elephants all at once (in one case, 75 elephants were killed this way). [43] Whole herds had to be killed because due to the elephant memory and intelligence, survived animals would pose an extreme threat. [43] The situation was changing – number of African inhabitants was sharply increasing, which meant less space for elephants and other animals. [43] Elephants, like all other animals living in the wild, hate to be hampered, provoked and threatened, wildlife officials at FDA say. [45] Many people ask why not rather sell ivory and gain money – either for conservation of elephants, parks, local communities or for anything else. [43] In that time, officers believed they were managing ivory trade in a sustainable way – that they kill only a number of elephants necessary to supply the market and fill treasuries but that they do not put elephants at risk. [43] Accordingly, it can ease the way for passing legislation like the State of California?s ban on ivory from illegally slaughtered elephants and rhinos, which was then unsuccessfully challenged in court by the innocuous-sounding private interest group, The Ivory Education Institute. [41] This is a country where elephants have known protection and safety for years because of strict conservation enforcement. [39] Back in 2016, poaching was cited as the primary driver of elephant loss by the International Union for Conservation of Nature a figure that totaled a chilling 111,000 elephants between 2005 and 2015. [53] It has long been considered a safe place for elephants because of militarized protection in conservation areas, and a “shoot to kill” policy against poachers. [39] In the 1930’s and 40’s just eighty years ago there were 3 5 million elephants in Africa. [40] Each year more elephants are lost than the diminishing population can reproduce. [40] Number of poached elephants decreased from 3,000 to 40 individuals, profits from admission fees to national parks tripled. [43] Elephant numbers were quickly decreasing – at the beginning of the 20th century, there were around 3-5 million elephants in Africa, in 1979 it was only 1.3 million. [43] Massacres of elephants were so huge that in 1890 British in East Africa announced the first law on protection of elephants – it was prohibited to shoot elephant females and young animals. [43] No other animal than Indian, African and forest elephant (and in the past also a mammoth) has teeth of such size and volume. [43] Current estimates place the number of African elephants in the wild at about 415,000. [53]

Cerling T. E., Barnette J. E., Chesson L. A., Douglas-Hamilton I., Gobush K. S., Uno K. T., Wasser S. K., Xu X., Radiocarbon dating of seized ivory confirms rapid decline in African elephant populations and provides insight into illegal trade. [33] In the course of the survey, which only began in July, they’ve already found nearly 90 elephant carcasses, many of which are believed to be poached. [38] Rachael Bale on Twitter: “So this Botswana elephant poaching story has gotten a lot more controversial and contentious than I expected. [35] It has been eight years of devastation for the elephant population in Mozambique’s largest conservation area, threatening the conservation of biodiversity in an ecosystem which has the potential to become the largest transboundary conservation area in the world. [37]

The government also tried to distance the killing from its decision to disarm its forces against poaching earlier this year without explanation. [36] Hunting is legal due to its regulation by the government and the permits it requires to kill certain animals; whereas poaching is the illegal killing of animals for the use of monetary gain–a trophy. [52]

The method could give law enforcement officials more ammunition in prosecuting traffickers and others involved in killing protected wildlife, says study coauthor Samuel Wasser, a conservation biologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. [32] “The majority were not poached but rather died from natural causes and retaliatory killings as a result of human and wildlife conflicts,” Raphaka argued. [38]

It also harms conservation efforts, by promoting killing endangered species and increasing the number that die each year. [38] The thought of killing a person for trying to survive is just as abhorrent as poaching itself. [29] Will poachers follow them to Australia? They might, but they are also killing them in zoos already. [29] Targeting the major export cartels could thus provide some of the most direct ways to police this illegal trade and stop the killing. [33]

According to the government’s statement, only 53 elephant carcasses have been found. [38] Reserve managers rate 2018 as a relatively quiet year in terms of elephant poaching. [37]

Characteristics of ivory from the three elephant species differ – predominantly, soft ivory from savannah elephants and hard ivory from forest elephants are recognized. [43] It is an irony that profits from ivory trade financed the establishment of the first Ministry of Live Nature, and even a bigger paradox is that despite all the progress and available information, this way of thinking in terms of “sustainable” use of elephants has not changed to these days. [43] In 1989, Kenya submitted a proposal on reclassification of elephants in CITES Appendix I which would de facto mean a global ban on ivory trade. [43] From several million individuals at the beginning of the 20th century, only 400,000 elephants have remained due to supplying the ivory industry (detailed counting was conducted in 2016). [43] Only few people realize this link, but the ivory trade is not “only” about elephants. [43] Elephants were drugged by a drug shot from airplanes (choline stops muscles from working), shooters then killed the elephants by shooting them in heads. [43] One of them are local people who get only little money for a killed elephant, and as the price of a bullet is high, they often poach with help of snares or poisoned baits. [43] During its investigation, according to a release, it was observed that one out of three hunters got killed by the wounded elephant in “retaliation” before the animal’s death. [45]

The whole story of the fight for elephants is in detail and very interesting way described in the Richard Leakey?s book Wildlife Wars (BB art, 2003, St. Martins Press New York, 2001). [43] Melania Trump feeds a baby elephant with a bottle at David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. [39]

Elephant is one of the flag species of nature conservation and a heraldic animal of the CITES convention. [43] The situation nowadays is even much worse than in 1980s and elephant and rhino poaching has reached the highest level in history. [43] Obviously, homo sapiens dominate earth, but homo sapiens aside, looking at species in an endangered status due to poaching, three of the top six in this category – elephants, rhinos and gorillas are at the top of the food chain and considered keystone species in their regional ecosystems. [41] Plush elephant toys, elephant statuettes, elephant pictures? Representation of elephants can be found almost everywhere. [43] Every 15 minutes, one elephant dies! At this pace, elephants might not exist anymore in 20 years. [43] By the time of the demise of the Roman Empire, elephants had disappeared from the northern part of Africa. [43] There used to be tribes focused on hunting elephants in Africa. [43] “Elephant Reduction Programme” had to be ended in 1995 due to strong protests of general public but was renewed by South Africa in 2008. [43] The story of Daphne Sheldrick is described in the book titled Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story. [43] In bordering Zambia and Angola elephants have been almost poached to extinction. [40] Besides humans, elephants are the only animals able to actively modify a landscape. [43] Elephants are social animals living in family herds led by the oldest, experienced female. [43] The gain of 5 million USD was supposed to be used for conservation of wild elephants and for support of local communities. [43] Numbers of elephants dropped, the ecosystem was given a chance to renew – at first by grasses, later also by shrubs and trees. [43] They built this map from DNA samples extracted mainly from elephant droppings (science is glamorous like that). [53] Herd after herd of elephant, crossing Botswana’s Linyanti Delta at dusk. [40] When herds of elephants cross rivers and deltas they use their trunks as snorkels. [40] Oh I was crushed when I heard the news there has been a lot on the BBC. Elephants are such incredible gentle giants, so intelligent and with such amazing family structure. [40] Preparing to take off for an early morning flight over the Okavango Delta following elephants. [40] On the edge of the Nairobi National Park stands an elephant orphanage established in 1977 by dr. [43]